Women's organisations in psychology: Institutional constraints on disciplinary change

Abstract

Following recent contentions that the impact of feminist psychology has been relativcly limited. this article examines some of the strategies employed by one type of academic institution ~ academic-professional societies ~ to contain challenges to their scholarship and organisation. It focuses on women's attempts to organise within their national psychological societies in five countries, with particular attention to comparisons between the U K and Australia. Using a sociology of science framework, it demonstrates that an analysis ol'the constraints imposed on such organisational activity can illuminate the processes of disciplinary stasis and change. Finally, the paper argues that a reflexive consideration of the obstacles to disciplinary chungc is a prerequisite for ensuring the efficacy of such changc.

The Legacy of Transformational Moments in Feminist Psychology

“…Sue Wilkinson, for example, recalls that feminist academic psychology in Britain arguably began with two symposia she had organized for the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) Social Psychology Section conferences in 1983 and 1984—fully 10 years after Division 35’s first program at APA convention. Following a 2-year struggle, including being turned down by the BPS Council, the Psychology of Women Section was formed in 1988 (Wilkinson, 1990; Wilkinson & Burns, 1990). Sue also notes that in 1998, a BPS Lesbian and Gay Psychology Section was founded, but only “after a long struggle, including homophobic abuse, and being turned down three times by the BPS Scientific Affairs Board and/or Council as ‘too narrow’ and ‘too political’” (see Wilkinson, 1999, for the full story).…”

POWES is pronounced “feminist”: Negotiating academic and activist boundaries in the talk of UK feminist psychologists

“…The difficult relationship between feminism and psychology is rooted in a long, complex history shaped by multiple concepts of gender, gendered roles and gender relations (Crawford & Marecek, 1989; Rutherford et al, 2010; Squire, 1989; Wilkinson, 1990), together with sexist practices that served to obscure women's engagement with the discipline (Milar, 2000). Whilst the place of both psychologies and feminisms has changed in many ways within the discipline and wider culture in recent decades (Eagly et al, 2012; Rutherford et al, 2011), some key issues remain salient.…”

Who writes our history? a comment on wilkinson (1990)

“…McCallum Consultants Pty Ltd, Sydney Wilkinson (1990) has claimed that women's attempts to organise within psychological societies have been obstructed. With respect to the Australian Psychological Society the arguments she put forward are not warranted.…”