Feminization of Psychology

Understanding the Term

Feminization or Gender Prejudice?

How do the perceptions and beliefs of the dominant culture influence the way people conceptualize the increase in the number of women in psychology and, concomitantly, in counseling psychology? It has been demonstrated that, historically, the efforts of women have been less visible than those of men within the field of psychology, despite many contributions of note. It has been evident that women were, for many years, under-represented within psychology across various roles, including those of author, therapist, administrator, and professor. This phenomenon has been attributed to, among other things, a historical cultural White male norm against which gender-related endeavors have been measured and acknowledged. It also likely reflects a societal reality that men often gained access to public roles and professions (including educational opportunities) prior to women. The question of whether a discussion of a masculinization of psychology would have ensued had the male-dominated field persisted has been raised in the [Page 212]literature. Within this larger context surrounding the changing demographics, a “feminized” perspective might be useful were it to contribute new viewpoints and potentially problematic were it to become yet another norm from which to default. Counseling psychology may differ somewhat from other arenas within psychology, as it is a relatively younger branch of psychology and has not carried as lengthy a history of male predominance. It is also noteworthy that counseling psychology, like other fields, is not a fully evolved entity; consequently, the entrance of women into the profession might be correlated with changes not attributable to its feminization (ethnic, socioeconomic, and other kinds of diversity among psychologists have likely also played a role in broadening the traditional perspectives within counseling psychology).

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