Standing still whilst ‘looking back and moving forwards’: The personal accounts of POWS members in the here and now

Abstract

In 2017, the BPS Psychology of Women Section (POWS) celebrated its 30th anniversary. Within the year that succeeded it was re-named the Psychology of Women and Equalities Section (POWES). This paper reflects not only on POWS (as it was named when this research was conducted) as an organization in the past, but also on the everyday accounts of those who are involved with the Section. Using an online survey including a story completion task, we explored how participants (n= 26) came to POWS; what roles they have engaged in within and outside of the section; and how they see POWS and feminist activism in Psychology moving forward. By analysing thematically, core themes around past reflections, a call for a more radical future and some central challenges were identified. We reflect on these findings and discuss how the positive virtues attributed to POWS exist alongside the tensions between embodying either a critic or a conformist status.