THE EFFECTS OF FEMINIST SCHOLARSHIP ON DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

The present article examines some of the ways in which feminist scholarship has helped shape developmental psychology, particularly the study of child development. Three main influences are discussed. (a) Feminist scholars have helped break the male-as-norm tradition. Toward this end, feminists have encouraged the valuing of females, the recognition that fewer sex differences exist than had previously been asserted by society at large, and the understanding that many sex differences that do exist are caused by the different socialization patterns of girls and boys. (b) Feminist scholarship has helped lessen mother blaming in accounting for children's behavior. The entire social world of the child (including fathers, peers, siblings, schools, grandparents, daycare, etc.) and biological makeup and predispositions are now all recognized as important influences on children's behavior. Finally, (c) feminist scholars have helped reconceptualize children's gender–role socialization. This has been done both by reinterpreting existing theories of gender–role socialization and by developing new theories.