The Life and Work of Mary Crawford: A Feminist Psychologist

2351 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Effect of World War II on Women's Lives

Mary Crawford is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most influential feminist psychologists in history, a first responder, in the uphill battle against “womanless” and anti-feminist psychological practices. She has achieved high accomplishments, as well as endured many hardships, and has fought to secure equality for women and to improve the lives of women all across the globe. Crawford is an accomplished author, her work spanning a diverse range of subjects; in articles, research, and several books. Crawford has received several awards for her accomplishments, which includes the Distinguished Publication Award from the Association for Women in Psychology (Korostoliev 2012). Crawford’s accomplishments did not come easily, but with her determination and resolve, she managed to shatter the glass ceiling in an extremely hostile sexist era and rose to the top of history’s most important spokespersons for women’s equality.

Biography

Mary Crawford was raised in a traditional white middle-class Catholic family just after the end of WWII in Pennsylvania (Korostoliev 2012/ Crawford, Unger 2001). Her father, an Air Force sergeant, was the head of household (Crawford 2001) and her mother was a traditional home-maker (Korostoliev 2012). As was standard in the time, Crawford was expected to follow in the footsteps of her mother in a traditional family role (Crawford 2001). In her adolescence, Crawford began idolizing many role-models of non-traditional females in powerful and interesting roles outside the home (Crawford 2001). Crawford listened to radio shows, read books like Nancy Drew, and was influenced by female leaders like Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of the newly created Israel (Crawford 2001).

Academia was always a strong point...

... middle of paper ...

...eministvoices.com/mary-crawford/

Korostoliev, A. (2012) Psychology’s Feminist Voices. Retrieved from http://www.feministvoices.com/mary-crawford/

Crawford, M., & Fox, A. (2007). From sex to gender and back again: Co-optation of a feminist language reform. Feminism & Psychology, 17(4), 481-486. doi:10.1177/0959353507084333

Unger, R. K., & Crawford, M. ( 1993). Commentary: Sex and gender: The troubled relationship between terms and concepts. Psychological Science, 4, 122– 124. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.1993.tb00473.x

Kaufman MR, Shefer T, Crawford M, Simbayi LC, Kalichman SC. Gender attitudes, sexual power, HIV risk: a model for understanding HIV risk behavior of South African men. AIDS Care. 2008;20(4):434–41.

Crawford, M. and M.A. Kaufman (2008) ‘Sex Trafficking in Nepal: Survivor Characteristics and Long Term Outcomes’, Violence against Women 14(8): 905–16.

Show More
Related

  • Brief Summary And Symbolism In Lakshmi's Life

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over 2 million children are sold into sex trafficking each year (Global). Sold gives the eye-opening narrative of just one of them. I followed Lakshmi through her journey as she learned about life outside her small hometown in Nepal. She loved her mother and baby brother and worked hard to keep up with her repulsive step-father’s gambling habit. When given the opportunity to take a job that could provide for her family, Lakshmi accepted the offer. Unknowingly, she walked into the hands of horrible people who led her blindly on the path of prostitution. Discovering her fate, Lakshmi latched onto hope when all seemed bleak. After months of endless abuse, some Americans gave her the opportunity to escape her situation, and, thankfully, she took

    Read More

  • A Brief Biography of Mamie Phipps Clark

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    MacKay, J. (2010). Profile of Bonnie Strickland. In A. Rutherford (Ed.), Psychology's Feminist Voices Multimedia Internet Archive. Retrieved from http://www.feministvoices.com/bonnie-strickland/

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Dakota Culture

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, I think it is important to analyze the difference between “sex” and “gender”. Up until researching for this paper, I though that the two terms were interchangeable in meaning, rather, they are separate ideas that are connected. According to Mary K. Whelan, a Doctor of Anthropology focusing on gender studies, sex and gender are different. She states, “Western conflation of sex and gender can lead to the impression that biology, and not culture, is responsible for defining gender roles. This is clearly not the case.”. She continues with, “Gender, like kinship, does have a biological referent, but beyond a universal recognition of male and female "packages," different cultures have chosen to associate very different behaviors, interactions, and statuses with men and women. Gender categories are arbitrary constructions of culture, and consequently, gender-appropriate behaviors vary widely from culture to culture.” (23). Gender roles are completely defined by the culture each person lives in. While some may think that another culture is sexist, or dem...

    Read More

  • She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    Egan, Susan K., and David G. Perry. "Gender Identity: A Multidimensional Analysis With Implications For Psychosocial Adjustment.." Developmental Psychology 37.4 (2001): 451-463. Print.

    Read More

  • Feminist Perspective of Addie Bundren of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many feminist/post-modern theorists see language as a patriarchal construct that excludes women. As Jeanie Forte writes, this characterization of language is informed by Lacanian theory, which, in turn, is influenc...

    Read More

  • Gender: Annotated Bibliography

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ignificant evidence for my research argument indicates that the nature of gender/sex consists of a wide consensus. The latter is significant to original sex differences in brain structure and the organized role through sex differential prenatal hormone exposures through the term used in the article as (the ‘hardwiring’ paradigm). The article is limited to scientific shortcoming that presents neuroscientific research on sex and gender for it lacks an analysis that goes beyond the observed results. The article is based on neuroscience studies and how it approached gender, yet the article suggests that gender should be examined through social, culture studies, ethnicity and race. This article will not form the foundation of my research but will be used a secondary material. The neuroscience evidences will be used to support my argument and will be used as an example.

    Read More

  • The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

    2013 Words  | 5 Pages

    "What do we mean by "sex" and "gender"?." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Evolving Role of Women in American History

    2170 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rappaport, Doreen. American Women, Their Lives in Their Words: Thomas Y. Crowell, New York 1990

    Read More

  • Feminist Therapy And Family Therapy

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feminist therapy dates back to the 1960’s, and is derived from the realities that lie outside, beneath, and at variance from the visions of the dominant patriarchal mainstream (Brown, n.d). Feminist therapy incorporates a worldview that no one should be constrained to stereotypical roles on the basis of their gender. As well as creating a setting where clients can work towards their own empowerment, as well as learn how to relate to others in ways that are responsible, healthy, and caring (Corey, 2013).

    Read More

  • Comparison of One is Not Born a Woman by Wittig and The Second Sex Simone De Beauvoir

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...rms of power and source of pride in society. Emphasizing sexism in language and rising the concern with words can be a vital feminist strategy to provoke social change (Weatherall, 2002). Language can produce a false imagination and represents women and men unequally, as if members of one sex were somehow less wholly human, less complex, and has fewer rights than members of the other sex. Sexist language also characterizes serotypes of women and men, sometimes to the disadvantage of both, but more often to the disadvantage of women. (Wareing & Thomas, 2012). As a result, it is necessary that individuals have the right to define, and to redefine as their lives unfold, their own gender identities, without regard to genitalia, assigned birth sex, or initial gender role. Language about women is not a nonaligned or an insignificant issue but profoundly a political one.

    Read More

  • Feminist Theory: Feminist Theory

    2452 Words  | 5 Pages

    Gender is a broad, multicultural issue (Hooks, 2000). The term has traditionally been used to understand the differences between men and women. Scharf (1995) indicated that gender should also be used to identify individual differences among men and women (as cited in Stewart and McDermott, 2004, p. 436). Benjamin (1995) however, feels that there

    Read More

  • Gender Performativity

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is an ongoing debate on the issue of gender and some scholars, present gender as being similar to sex. However, according to Butler (270) defines sex as the state of being either biologically female or male; with this definition, Butler refutes the traditional binary opposition amid biological sexes, holding that the conception of binary biological sex is a product of social construction. On the other hand, gender is defined as the behavioral, psychological, cultural traits that are traditionally associated with the binary conception of biological sexes that is either male or female. In the traditional setting, gender or rather gender identity was believed to be a direct expression of an individual’s biological sex, but Butler refuted this assumption

    Read More

  • Friends with Benefits Relationships

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    Oliver, M. B., & Hyde, J. S. (1993). Gender difference in sexuality: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 29-51.

    Read More

  • The Social Construction Of Gender

    3360 Words  | 7 Pages

    Gender is such a ubiquitous notion that humans assume gender is biological. However, gender is a notion that is made up in order to organize human life. It is created and recreated giving power to the dominant gender, creating an inferior gender and producing gender roles. There are many questionable perspectives such as how two genders are learned, how humans learn their own gender and others genders, how they learn to appropriately perform their gender and how gender roles are produced. In order to understand these perspectives, we must view gender as a social institution. Society bases gender on sex and applies a sex category to people in daily life by recognizing gender markers. Sex is the foundation to which gender is created. We must understand the difference between anatomical sex and gender in order to grasp the development of gender. First, I will be assessing existing perspectives on the social construction of gender. Next, I will analyze three case studies and explain how gender construction is applied in order to provide a clearer understanding of gender construction. Lastly, I will develop my own case study by analyzing the movie Mrs. Doubtfire and apply gender construction.

    Read More

  • Feminist Criticism Of Feminism

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why has this book become so popular in rapid time? Why are women flocking to buy the book and why are they talking about it with their friends? More importantly, why was I a part of the craze? These are all valid questions I would like to find answers to. In my opinion, the book negatively portrays women, and yet women, and some men, are still reading it. It is alarming that so many readers are blinded by the message of the book because they are so wrapped in the content. This is why I find the book worth studying. In order to find answers to my questions, I will look to feminist criticism to better understand my topic.

    Read More

More about The Life and Work of Mary Crawford: A Feminist Psychologist

Open Document