The Future of Women in Psychological Science

June Gruber¹, Jane Mendle², Kristen A Lindquist³, Toni Schmader⁴, Lee Anna Clark⁵, Eliza Bliss-Moreau⁶, Modupe Akinola⁷, Lauren Atlas⁸, Deanna M Barch^{9

10}, Lisa Feldman Barrett^{11

12}, Jessica L Borelli¹³, Tiffany N Brannon¹⁴, Silvia A Bunge¹⁵, Belinda Campos^{13

16}, Jessica Cantlon¹⁷, Rona Carter¹⁸, Adrienne R Carter-Sowell¹⁹, Serena Chen¹⁵, Michelle G Craske¹⁴, Amy J C Cuddy²⁰, Alia Crum²¹, Lila Davachi²², Angela L Duckworth²³, Sunny J Dutra²⁴, Naomi I Eisenberger¹⁵, Melissa Ferguson²⁵, Brett Q Ford²⁶, Barbara L Fredrickson³, Sherryl H Goodman²⁷, Alison Gopnik¹⁵, Valerie Purdie Greenaway²², Kate L Harkness²⁸, Mikki Hebl²⁹, Wendy Heller³⁰, Jill Hooley³¹, Lily Jampol³², Sheri L Johnson¹⁵, Jutta Joormann³³, Katherine D Kinzler²⁵, Hedy Kober^{24

33}, Ann M Kring¹⁵, Elizabeth Levy Paluck³⁴, Tania Lombrozo³⁴, Stella F Lourenco²⁷, Kateri McRae³⁵, Joan K Monin³⁶, Judith T Moskowitz³⁷, Misaki N Natsuaki³⁸, Gabriele Oettingen³⁹, Jennifer H Pfeifer⁴⁰, Nicole Prause⁴¹, Darby Saxbe⁴², Pamela K Smith⁴³, Barbara A Spellman⁴⁴, Virginia Sturm⁴⁵, Bethany A Teachman⁴⁶, Renee J Thompson⁹, Lauren M Weinstock⁴⁷, Lisa A Williams⁴⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder.
² Department of Human Development, Cornell University.
³ Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia.
⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, and the California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California.
⁷ Columbia Business School, Columbia University.
⁸ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
⁹ Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis.
¹⁰ Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis.
¹¹ Department of Psychology, Northeastern University.
¹² Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
¹³ Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine.
¹⁴ Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
¹⁵ Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley.
¹⁶ Department of Chicano/Latino Studies, University of California, Irvine.
¹⁷ Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University.
¹⁸ Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
¹⁹ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Africana Studies Program, Texas A&M University.
²⁰ Harvard Business School Executive Education.
²¹ Department of Psychology, Stanford University.
²² Department of Psychology, Columbia University.
²³ Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
²⁴ Department of Clinical Psychology, William James College.
²⁵ Department of Psychology, Cornell University.
²⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
²⁷ Department of Psychology, Emory University.
²⁸ Department of Psychology, Queen's University.
²⁹ Department of Psychology, Rice University.
³⁰ Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
³¹ Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
³² Humu, Inc., Mountain View, California.
³³ Department of Psychology, Yale University.
³⁴ Department of Psychology, Princeton University.
³⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Denver.
³⁶ Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health.
³⁷ Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.
³⁸ Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside.
³⁹ Department of Psychology, New York University.
⁴⁰ Department of Psychology, University of Oregon.
⁴¹ Liberos, LLC, Los Angeles, California.
⁴² Department of Psychology, University of Southern California.
⁴³ Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego.
⁴⁴ University of Virginia School of Law.
⁴⁵ Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco.
⁴⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Virginia.
⁴⁷ Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University.
⁴⁸ School of Psychology, University of New South Wales.

PMID: 32901575
PMCID: PMC8114333
DOI: 10.1177/1745691620952789

The Future of Women in Psychological Science

June Gruber et al. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2021 May.

. 2021 May;16(3):483-516.

doi: 10.1177/1745691620952789. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder.
² Department of Human Development, Cornell University.
³ Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia.
⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, and the California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California.
⁷ Columbia Business School, Columbia University.
⁸ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
⁹ Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis.
¹⁰ Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis.
¹¹ Department of Psychology, Northeastern University.
¹² Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
¹³ Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine.
¹⁴ Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
¹⁵ Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley.
¹⁶ Department of Chicano/Latino Studies, University of California, Irvine.
¹⁷ Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University.
¹⁸ Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
¹⁹ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Africana Studies Program, Texas A&M University.
²⁰ Harvard Business School Executive Education.
²¹ Department of Psychology, Stanford University.
²² Department of Psychology, Columbia University.
²³ Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
²⁴ Department of Clinical Psychology, William James College.
²⁵ Department of Psychology, Cornell University.
²⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
²⁷ Department of Psychology, Emory University.
²⁸ Department of Psychology, Queen's University.
²⁹ Department of Psychology, Rice University.
³⁰ Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
³¹ Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
³² Humu, Inc., Mountain View, California.
³³ Department of Psychology, Yale University.
³⁴ Department of Psychology, Princeton University.
³⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Denver.
³⁶ Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health.
³⁷ Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.
³⁸ Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside.
³⁹ Department of Psychology, New York University.
⁴⁰ Department of Psychology, University of Oregon.
⁴¹ Liberos, LLC, Los Angeles, California.
⁴² Department of Psychology, University of Southern California.
⁴³ Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego.
⁴⁴ University of Virginia School of Law.
⁴⁵ Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco.
⁴⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Virginia.
⁴⁷ Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University.
⁴⁸ School of Psychology, University of New South Wales.

PMID: 32901575
PMCID: PMC8114333
DOI: 10.1177/1745691620952789

Abstract

There has been extensive discussion about gender gaps in representation and career advancement in the sciences. However, psychological science itself has yet to be the focus of discussion or systematic review, despite our field's investment in questions of equity, status, well-being, gender bias, and gender disparities. In the present article, we consider 10 topics relevant for women's career advancement in psychological science. We focus on issues that have been the subject of empirical study, discuss relevant evidence within and outside of psychological science, and draw on established psychological theory and social-science research to begin to chart a path forward. We hope that better understanding of these issues within the field will shed light on areas of existing gender gaps in the discipline and areas where positive change has happened, and spark conversation within our field about how to create lasting change to mitigate remaining gender differences in psychological science.

Keywords: bias; gender; gender roles; psychology; science; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared that there were no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship or the publication of this article.

Figures

**Fig. 1.**
Ten issues affecting the future of women in psychological science: Issues 1 to 3 involve examples of gender gaps facing women in psychological science. Issues 4 to 10 summarize possible systemic, interpersonal, or intrapersonal mechanisms that may help account for those disparities. This list is not intended to be exhaustive or to be a discussion of all of the relevant issues, or underlying mechanisms, affecting the future of women in psychological science.

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References

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The Future of Women in Psychological Science

Affiliations

The Future of Women in Psychological Science

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources