Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Why researchers don't study women: The responses of 62 researchers

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sixty-two researchers accounting for 64 single-sex studies that appeared in 1970 1971 issues of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reported why they had limited their studies to a single sex and why they had preferred either males or females for their studies. Also, articles and abstracts were read as a way of checking researchers' reporting practices. The replies were analyzed for thematic content and formed three major types: scientific (56%), practical (28%), and extrascientific (15%). The responses helped to explain why there has been an imbalance in psychology which led to the study of men rather than women instead of the exploration of both sexes. Sggestions are offered to help counteract this trend in future psychological research and reporting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Carlson, E. R., & Carlson, R. Male and female subjects in personality research. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1961, 61, 482–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, R. Where is the person in personality research? Psychological Bulletin, 1971, 75, 203–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daniels, A. Feminist perspectives in sociological research. In M. Millman & R. M. Kanter (Eds.), Another voice. New York: Anchor Books, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reardon, P., & Prescott, S. Sex as reported in a recent sample of psychological research. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1977, in press.

  • Schultz, D. P. The human subject in psychological research. Psychological Bulletin, 1969, 72, 214–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwabacher, S. Male vs. female representation in psychological research: An examination of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1970, 1971. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 1972, 2, 20–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, I., Schulman, A. D., & Wiesenthal, D., The experimenter as a source of variance in psychological research: Modeling and sex effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1972, 21, 219–227.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Governors State University, USA

    Suzanne Prescott

Authors
  1. Suzanne Prescott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Prescott, S. Why researchers don't study women: The responses of 62 researchers. Sex Roles 4, 899–905 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287709

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287709

Keywords

Search

Navigation