Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of biological, evolutionary, and sociocultural frameworks to issues of gender in the 10 most popular introductory psychology textbooks in the U.S. The use of these metatheories is of interest to feminist scholars because they have implications for the extent to which students learn that gender and gender differences are fixed and innate or socially constructed. If gender and gender differences are seen as malleable, then efforts at social change to improve women’s status or men’s and women’s abilities or opportunities can be understood as promising endeavors. The relative use of these three frameworks differed dramatically across books, affording all scholars the opportunity to actively select those texts whose prominent frameworks best align with their course goals. The paper concludes with suggestions for which books offer the most thorough coverage of sociocultural frameworks.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a grant from the Society for the Psychology of Women (Division 35 of the American Psychological Association). The authors are members of the Feminist Transformations Task Force of the Society for the Psychology of Women. We thank Anais Alvarez and Clara Gardner for research assistance.
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This research was supported by a grant from the Society for the Psychology of Women (Division 35 of the American Psychological Association). The authors are members of the Feminist Transformations Task Force of the Society for the Psychology of Women. We thank Anais Alvarez and Clara Gardner for research assistance
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Eaton, A.A., Rose, S.M. The Application of Biological, Evolutionary, and Sociocultural Frameworks to Issues of Gender in Introductory Psychology Textbooks. Sex Roles 69, 536–542 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-013-0289-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-013-0289-9