IV. RECOMMENDATIONS

One cannot draw clear causal conclusions from much of what has been said. Further, the effects of particular actions may be obscured or overwhelmed by social and economic changes over which the discipline has minimal control. Nevertheless, it is critical that we continue to monitor change, not merely to check out the veracity of the statements in this Case Study, but to maintain a record of and be able to evaluate gender shifting, as well as other demographic changes (e.g., in ethnicity, race and class). Further, since there are and will be a large percent of women in the profession, status indicators must also be measured. Much of what is proposed can be achieved through mechanisms that are in place. In addition, the newly established position in the Women's Programs Office should allow for the tracking of these data, that is, continue and extend the work of this subcommittee on the task force.

The results revealed in the Case Study and our discussion led to the development of the following Action Plan.

A. GOAL

The goal of this plan is to utilize our understanding of the forces underlying the changing gender composition of psychology in order to maintain and enhance the professional, scientific and economic status of psychology and to continue to be responsive to the needs of society. Regardless of the gender composition of the profession in the future, it is critical that it is respected and well remunerated. Such an outcome is likely only if proper and appropriate use is made of the knowledge gained from the Case Study.

B. OBJECTIVES

In developing these objectives, the task force considered three key factors: (1) That there may be a downward shift in the attractiveness of professions in our society, as a result of economic and other societal factors, 2) that the changing gender composition in psychology is neither unique nor responsible for any downward shift, and 3) that to achieve the stated goal, both internal and external actions would be required.
  1. WE MUST CHALLENGE the underlying assumptions, values, and attitudes about why shifts occur in the status of professions. We discovered that when other professions have undergone shifts in gender composition, the increasing proportion of women to men is blamed for the decrease in the status of the profession. People tend to confuse correlation with causation. In fact, the status of any profession or occupation drops as economic rewards diminish. Decreasing financial rewards contribute to relatively fewer men entering the profession, thus leaving more opportunities for women. An occupation that carries decreasing economic appeal to men who have a wide array of choices still may have greater appeal to women, who have fewer opportunities available to them. Men leave the queue; more women join the queue; hence the gender balance tip (Reskin and Roos, 1990).

  2. WE MUST EXPAND psychologists' outlook regarding new approaches to the changing socio-economic environment. Impending changes in the delivery of health care, reductions in university funding, loss of training funds, etc., will force psychologists to adopt new survival strategies. If the profession does not respond to changing social demands for its service, the status of the field will decline and the increased influx of women into the field will be seen as the cause of the decline. All of psychology's resources are required to develop and protect environments in which we work and markets for our services. Diversity must be recognized as an opportunity rather than as an inevitable social change that is to be endured.

  3. WE MUST CHANGE the culture of psychology to value and seek the perspectives of women. As more of the work of psychology is done by women, the character of its research, training, and practice will be altered. Diversity in opinions, strategies, and the use of resources can be a significant strength if recognized and properly managed.

  4. WE MUST INCREASE the participation of women in leadership and policymaking positions for the profession. Because women will comprise the majority of psychologists in the near future, they must become stakeholders now so that they will be experienced in the protection and advancement of the profession's future. We do not want psychology to become a profession in which women predominate in the rank and file, but men predominate in the leadership, as has been the case with other occupations.

C. STRATEGIES

We have identified four focus areas for psychology's efforts in order to meet the stated objectives: Public information, advocacy, leadership, and education and training. Additionally, we have designated the office, board, or committee within the APA which should be responsible for seeing that the recommended actions are carried out. We anticipate that relevant boards and committees will expand upon and further improve the strategies which are presented here. The four focus areas are briefly summarized below.

PUBLIC INFORMATION: We must raise the consciousness of both the public and the profession about the value of psychology.

Professional: The membership of the APA needs to be informed about the findings of the task force and helped to understand the implications for the future of the discipline.

Public: Inform the general public about the value to society of the discipline of psychology, increase public awareness of the role of women in the professions, and develop public consensus that women need to be paid at the same rate and afforded the same opportunities for advancement as their male colleagues.

ADVOCACY: Augment psychology's role as a major player in the advocacy arena, incorporating a strong woman's perspective wherever appropriate, in work, legislative, and public agency settings.

Internal: Regardless of the gender composition of psychology, we must maintain support for advocacy programs already in place.

External: Ensure that a women's perspective is an integral part of the APA advocacy agenda.

LEADERSHIP: Design strategies to increase the number of women in leadership and decision making positions in all work settings and in national and state professional organizations so that women are represented at the same rate in leadership as they are in the profession as a whole.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Improve opportunities for women in academia, including increasing the pool of academic chairs and site visitors; modify the training requirements for women and men to accommodate the need to balance their priorities, such as child care; and expand and adjust curricula to meet the needs of the changing student body and the populations which they serve.

D. CONCLUSION

The task force conceives of the Action Plan as a work in progress that will be further developed in conjunction with our colleagues in psychology and our peers in other professions.

The task force, having completed the Case Study and this Action Plan, and having held the Interprofessional Roundtable, has completed its work. The association must take the responsibility to continue the exploration and development of new employment opportunities for psychologists, monitoring the ongoing changes in the marketplace which will enhance or detract from the future attractiveness of psychology as a discipline.

To see that the recommendations do not go unheeded, the task force, as its final action, requested that the Committee on Women in Psychology and the Women's Programs Office assume responsibility for oversight of the Action Plan. The Council of Representatives voted to accept this request.

Additionally, the Action Plan will be distributed to the APA Divisions which can decide on ways to develop recruitment, mentoring, outreach to students, public awareness and leadership training efforts, coordinated with APA-wide strategies.

The full report of the Task Force on the Changing Gender Composition of Psychology is available by contacting the Women's Programs Office at (202) 336-6044.

Last Page Table of Contents