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Results of the Committee on Women in Psychology 1996 Questionnaire: State
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STATE, PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION RESULTS
The response rate for the state, provincial and territorial
psychological associations was 55%. Sixteen of the questionnaires (50%) were filled out by
the association presidents.
See Table 2.
Thirty-two state, provincial, or territorial psychological associations
(55%) responded to the questionnaire. Nine out of the 29 (31%) that responded to the
question on women members indicated that women comprise more than 50% of their total
membership. The three associations with the highest percentage of female members are the
Virgin Islands (75%), Alaska (64%), and Massachusetts (60%). Note that the Virgin Islands
and Alaska have very small memberships (20 and 54, respectively).
Fourteen (43.8%) of the 32 state associations responding to this
question have 50% or more women serving on the executive board/committee and six
associations (19%) have less than 30% women serving on the executive board/committee. The
four associations with the highest representation of women on the executive
board/committee are Georgia (71%), Hawaii (67%), the District of Columbia (67%), and
Alabama (65%). Six associations (19%) have less than 30% women serving on the executive
board/committee.
The Virgin Islands Psychological Association is the only one to report
that all of their presidents in the last 10 years (100%) were women; California, the
District of Columbia, and Wyoming have all had five women presidents (50%) in the last 10
years. Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Vermont report only one woman president in the past
10 years and British Columbia, Nevada, and Nova Scotia report no women presidents in this
time period.
Sixteen (50%) of the state psychological associations indicate that
women currently chair 50% or more of their permanent committees; the associations with the
highest percentage of women chairing permanent committees are the Virgin Islands (100%),
Hawaii (80%) and New Mexico (78%); those with the lowest percentage of women chairing
permanent committees are Maine (0%), South Dakota (17%), and Virginia (20%).
In response to the question "If women's issues and/or gender
equity has been a concern within your organization, how is it being addressed?,"
Iowa, Michigan and Vermont (9% of the state associations) indicated that they have a
formal committee that addresses the issue(s); New Mexico has an informal committee;
Georgia has a division/section on women; nine of the state associations (28%) indicated
that ad hoc committees and task forces might be created to address the issue(s); nine
(28%) did not respond to the question; and nine (28%) responded in an "other"
category which included the following answers:
- not applicable (MA)
- has not been a concern (OR and WY)
- running ad hoc committee on race and gender (VA)
- there is an affiliate organization with a voting seat on the Ohio Psychological
Association Board (OH)
- have had a committee to address issue (MD)
- women have worked informally regarding leadership issues (LA)
- work to find and groom good women for leadership (ND)
- "Women in Psychology" receptions at our annual convention (WA)
All 32 state, provincial and territorial psychological associations
(100%) indicated that they hold an annual/biannual meeting/conference. Sixteen of the
associations (50%) stated that they would not be including any programs addressing issues
specifically related to women at their next meeting/conference, six (19%) stated that they
were planning to address women's issues (Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and
Virginia), while Georgia said "hopefully," and Alabama and Nevada said they did
not know yet. The percentage of hours dedicated to these issues was reported by all six
associations that said yes as 25% or less.
Twenty-four of the associations (75%) stated that they would not be
including any programs addressing women's equity at their next meeting/conference,
Alabama, Nevada, and Oregon (9% of the total) said they did not know yet, and Georgia said
"hopefully." Only the Texas Psychological Association said "yes" but
they did not indicate the percentage of hours dedicated to the issue.
Presidents of the state psychological associations were asked if their
organizations had implemented a mentoring program. Alabama, Maryland, North Dakota, Nova
Scotia, Ohio, and Virginia said yes they had (19%), twenty-four associations said no
(75%), Texas said "not formally" (3%), and Nevada did not answer the question
(3%).
Like divisions, state, provincial and territorial psychological
associations vary in the numbers of women members and their active involvement. Close to
half of these associations indicate that women are represented on their executive
boards/committees and women serve as committee chairs in 50% of the state associations.
Although women are represented in numbers similar to their male colleagues in
approximately half of the state associations, women’s issues and women’s equity
are less likely to be addressed during the annual meetings/conferences. Half of the states
that responded were not planning to include women’s issues as part of their next
meeting/conference; only 19% saw it as a priority. Only one state, Texas, was planning to
address women’s equity at their next meeting/conference (three states said they
didn’t know yet and one said hopefully). Nineteen percent of the state psychological
associations have implemented mentoring programs.
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