Area Chair: Terri Conley, Professor of Psychology and Women's & Gender Studies
2023-24 Gender & Feminist Psychology Area
The Gender and Feminist Psychology (GFP) area examines the psychology of gender, sexuality, and intersectionality using a social justice perspective. We examine these issues in the context of power and inequality. One of our most visible components is our unique and nationally recognized Doctoral Program (Ph.D.) in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS). However, Psychology graduate students who are not in the joint Psychology and WGS program are welcome to affiliate with the area, and may opt to complete a graduate certificate in WGS.
Faculty in the Gender and Feminist Psychology Area are leaders in several fields and provide inter-disciplinary training experiences. We have particular strengths in three areas: (1) sex and sexuality, (2) the role of sexism and racism and other forms of exclusion in public health, public policy, and organizations, and (3) investments in advocacy and activism in public spheres. For example, research in the GFP area addresses important questions in psychology, including: the role of group disparities resulting from stigma, the impact of social environments on sexual and gender development, as well as how organizations (as structures, individuals, employees, and leaders) support or hinder diversity in the workplace. Across these topical areas, we have vibrant research programs addressing intersections of race/ethnicity with gender and sexual identities, as well as research that aims to include feminist epistemologies in psychological research. Students gain expertise in numerous research methods including experimental design, survey design, qualitative designs, and mixed methods.
Students in the Ph.D. program benefit from an active interdisciplinary cohort of students in Women’s and Gender Studies, opportunities for interdisciplinary research and mentoring, and the resources of a major research university. Recent graduates from the Ph.D. program hold postdoctoral fellowships at institutions including University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Washington, Brandeis, and the University of Miami. Graduates of GFP hold tenured and tenure-track faculty positions at Chapman University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Alaska, the University of Houston-Clearlake, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Virginia, and others.
