The Nature and Causes of Female Suppression

Abstract

Central to the field of women's studies is the concept of female suppression-which means the interlocking complex of lower status and limited opportunities for women, as compared with men, in the spheres of law, education, the economy, and social power. That female suppression exists and that it is widespread and pervasive over many cultures and much of human history are well-established facts. Yet if we inquire as to the of female suppression, much less is known. Within the last hundred years, explanations of female suppression in terms of divine will or natural law have given way to more varied forms of speculation and research, as philosophers, theorists, and social scientists have invoked a wide variety of explanatory causes. Strictly speaking, of course, causes are never known but inferred from associations. In this paper, we propose to review some of the major suggested for female suppression and then to introduce some analytic and statistical procedures used in psychological research in order to test these theories. We have several purposes in mind: to demonstrate the usefulness of psychological techniques of data analysis when applied to broader fields of inquiry, to clarify our ideas about the status of women, and to stimulate further research as an answer to theoretical controversy. Finally, we believe that any attempt to change the status and opportunities of women will be more successful if it is based on a correct analysis of the of female suppression. Perhaps the classic analysis of the of female suppression is the treatise of Engels, which argues that changes in ownership of property and thus in economic structure brought about a reduction in the