Research Question
The research problem on Canadian feminist psychology is clearly covered in the article. It is intended to outline the representation of the female gender in the discipline of psychology in Canada. In particular, it is intended to look at the feminization of psychology in Canada and justifications of the psychology of women courses in academic circles.
Introduction
The introduction of the article gives the purposes of the research that include the historical and present condition of the psychology of women field of interest. Three sources are cited in the introductory part of the article. The early beginnings of women’s psychology and the setting up of women’s status in Canada seemed to provide the momentum for the primary growth of the feminist psychology field in Canada.
Methodology
There are several methods used in gathering materials in this research article. First, a large percentage of the article is acquired from published books, journals, and conference presentations. Secondly, research information was acquired from the lists of universities’ enrolment of students in the psychology courses (Fiksenbaum, 1998). The population used in the collection of data was the students enrolled in Canadian universities. This was particularly the group that was enrolled to pursue psychology courses in universities across Canada. They were not necessarily selected directly because the researchers acquired their list from the universities.
The researchers obtained the list of both the male and female students registered in each university and compared them in terms of their numbers and courses they took. In particular, they put more emphasis on the number of universities that offered feminist psychology courses, and the total number of female students who enrolled in comparison to that of men. University calendars were used in the gathering of this data.
Results
The results clearly outlined how Canadian women were represented in the field of psychology in their country. These results are openly stated and are purely understandable because they are clearly detailed. Even though there are no tables or graphs used, the percentage figures given provide the real situation. From the record of sixty-two universities, institutes, and colleges reviewed in 1996, fifty-five of them had psychology programs, thirty-seven of which had graduate programs (Fiksenbaum, 1998).
About sixty-two feminist psychology courses were programmed in the curricula of sixty-two tertiary institutions. However, forty percent of them did not offer any lessons on women’s psychology. Only seven of them provided this course at graduate point.
Conclusion
Many of the feminist psychology courses at Canadian universities are either inconsistent or inadequately general. For example in McGill University, out of the sixty-seven undergraduate courses of the 1996/97 calendar, none focused on feminist psychology. In addition, articles about Canadian psychology were almost irrelevant to this discipline because only six percent of the latest articles focused on the topic. Articles focusing on feminist psychology were always met with male chauvinism, and those assumed to be neutral were conducted by female researchers. Conference presentations focused highly on gender roles and stereotypes. In the late eighties, only nine percent of these presentations were female-oriented. There are neither practical implications nor recommendations for further research in the article.
Personal recommendations
This research work was perfectly organized and delivered to its target audience. From it, I have learned that feminist psychology in particular and Canadian women, in general, have a long way to go in order to achieve proper recognition in society. The questions are, why is it taking too long to accept this discipline in Canada, and why are more women not interested in feminist psychology yet it considerably theirs?
References
Fiksenbaum, L., Goldstein, L., Pyke, S., Greenglass, E., & Boatswain, S. (1998). An analysis of the current status and future of the psychology of women. Newsletter of the CPA Section on Women & Psychology, 24(2), 9–11.