Feminist Critiques of “Sex/Gender” as a Psychological Variable

Abstract

The psychology of women has as a major focus of study differences between women and men. This paper examines the “sex/gender”1 variable in psychology and the various feminist approaches to the study of difference. I have chosen a focus on the sex/gender variable for both historical and intellectual reasons: first, the issue of sex differences served as the primary locus for the emergence of feminist-oriented psychology in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Second, it is a central point of contention among feminist critics today. The original critical impulse of psychologists interested in difference has become fragmented. This resulting multiplicity affects the assessment of theory, method and application within the field. As a study in how the character of critique has altered the context of the discipline, the debates in feminist psychology are informative for those interested in areas other than the psychology of women. The resolutions sought by feminist psychologists have possible implications for many forms of critical work.