Women, research, Training and Communication Jacquelyn W' White, Ph' D' University of North Carolina

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Women, research, Training and CommunicationJacq
uelyn W. White, Ph. D.University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, USA

• Paper presented at
• Group of Territorial Interest (GIT)
• Equal Opportunities- Puglia (Italy)
• Equality Quality Development
• Lecce, Italy
• October 22-24, 2004
• PowerPoint Slides http//www.uncg.edu/psy/courses
  /jwwhite/git/GIT presentation.ppt
• Paper in Word http//www.uncg.edu/psy/courses/jww
  hite/git/GIT presentation.doc

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Thanks to

• Dr. Rita Sarao, University of Foggio
• Office of International Programs, University of
  North Carolina at Greensboro
• Dr. Cheryl Travis, University of Tennessee
• Dr. Nancy Felipe Russo, Arizona State University

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Goals

• Suggest that many of the problems faced by women
  today are the results of stereotypes, prejudice
  and discrimination

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Goals

• Suggest that many of the problems faced by women
  today are the results of stereotypes, prejudice
  and discrimination
• Suggest that these problems can be addressed
  through social science research

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Goals

• Suggest that many of the problems faced by women
  today are the results of stereotypes, prejudice
  and discrimination
• Suggest that these problems can be addressed
  through social science research that
• is multi-disciplinary
• is collaborative
• engages the community
• has a global perspective

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Entrenched prejudice and discrimination

• Stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and
  devaluation

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Entrenched prejudice and discrimination

• Stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and
  devaluation
• detrimentally affect women in the home, classroom
  and workplace

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Entrenched prejudice and discrimination

• Stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and
  devaluation
• detrimentally affect women in the home, classroom
  and workplace
• impede the development of programs to advance
  women's educational and occupational status

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Women are adversely and uniquely affected by
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Women are adversely and uniquely affected by

• Population pressures

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Women are adversely and uniquely affected by

• Population pressures
• Environmental destruction

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Women are adversely and uniquely affected by

• Population pressures
• Environmental destruction
• Escalating violence on the streets, in the home

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Women are adversely and uniquely affected by

• Population pressures
• Environmental destruction
• Escalating violence on the streets, in the home
• Ever-widening gap between rich and poor
• Functional illiteracy

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Women are adversely and uniquely affected by

• Population pressures
• Environmental destruction
• Escalating violence on the streets, in the home
• Ever-widening gap between rich and poor
• Functional illiteracy
• Inadequacies of health care systems,
• compounded by the impact of an aging population,
  lack of health insurance, and AIDS

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women
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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• social dimensions that involve differential
  access to power and privilege, and that may carry
  stigma and elicit prejudice and discrimination

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• social dimensions that involve differential
  access to power and privilege, and that may carry
  stigma and elicit prejudice and discrimination
• include race, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
  physical ability, size, religion, and immigrant
  status

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• political and economic climates define social
  roles and influence behavior

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• less powerful seen as deficient in some way

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• less powerful seen as deficient in some way
• power dynamics operate no matter what the basis
  for dividing groups and individuals

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• less powerful seen as deficient in some way
• power dynamics operate no matter what the basis
  for dividing groups and individuals
• mechanisms of power and privilege are often
  located in the policies and procedures of systems
  and organizations

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• less powerful seen as deficient in some way
• power dynamics operate no matter what the basis
  for dividing groups and individuals
• mechanisms of power and privilege are often
  located in the policies and procedures of systems
  and organizations
• identifying the effects of gendered power and
  privilege as they relate to diverse phenomena
  should be a research priority

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• Activism

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• Activism
• eliminate differentials move toward equality in
  ways that improve the quality of life for both
  women and men

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• Activism
• eliminate differentials move toward equality in
  ways that improve the quality of life for both
  women and men
• incorporate an empowerment theme

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• Activism
• eliminate differentials move toward equality in
  ways that improve the quality of life for both
  women and men
• incorporate an empowerment theme
• priorities for research should reflect the needs
  of members of the community as they define them

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Challenges and opportunities by studying women

• Inclusiveness and diversity
• Context
• Power and privilege
• Activism
• eliminate differentials move toward equality in
  ways that improve the quality of life for both
  women and men
• incorporate an empowerment theme
• priorities for research should reflect the needs
  of members of the community as they define them
• general public and public bodies that establish
  policy need to become partners in supporting such
  research

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Problems with traditional methods
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Problems with traditional methods

• Facts are not independent of theory or method

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Problems with traditional methods

• Facts are not independent of theory or method
• The scientist and the subject of study are not
  independent

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Problems with traditional methods

• Facts are not independent of theory or method
• The scientist and the subject of study are not
  independent
• Value-free, neutral science does not exist

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Problems with traditional methods

• Facts are not independent of theory or method
• The scientist and the subject of study are not
  independent
• Value-free, neutral science does not exist
• Knowledge cannot be understood separate from its
  embedded context

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Problems with traditional methods

• Facts are not independent of theory or method
• The scientist and the subject of study are not
  independent
• Value-free, neutral science does not exist
• Knowledge cannot be understood separate from its
  embedded context
• Knowledge or truth cannot be gained through
  disengaged observation

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Problems with traditional methods

• Facts are not independent of theory or method
• The scientist and the subject of study are not
  independent
• Value-free, neutral science does not exist
• Knowledge cannot be understood separate from its
  embedded context
• Knowledge or truth cannot be gained through
  disengaged observation
• Traditional modern science limits the vision and
  usefulness of various disciplines

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New models for research
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New models for research

• Move from individualistic conceptions of the
  self-contained person to models that embed the
  person in her/his social context

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New models for research

• Move from individualistic conceptions of the
  self-contained person to models that embed the
  person in her/his social context
• Focus on the social fabric of womens lives

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New models for research

• Move from individualistic conceptions of the
  self-contained person to models that embed the
  person in her/his social context
• Focus on the social fabric of womens lives
• Make salient the role of oppression and
  exploitation

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New models for research

• Move from individualistic conceptions of the
  self-contained person to models that embed the
  person in her/his social context
• Focus on the social fabric of womens lives
• Make salient the role of oppression and
  exploitation
• Include power and privilege as major variables

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Guiding principles for new models of research
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Guiding principles for new models of research

• Build structure for diversity

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Guiding principles for new models of research

• Build structure for diversity
• Distribute leadership and responsibility

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Guiding principles for new models of research

• Build structure for diversity
• distribute leadership and responsibility
• Value all voices

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Guiding principles for new models of research

• Build structure for diversity
• Distribute leadership and responsibility
• Value all voices
• Honor personal experience

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Guiding principles for new models of research

• Build structure for diversity
• Distribute leadership and responsibility
• Value all voices
• Honor personal experience
• Decide through consensus

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Guiding principles for new models of research

• Build structure for diversity
• Distribute leadership and responsibility
• Value all voices
• Honor personal experience
• Decide through consensus
• Promote social change

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Central to success Training
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Central to success Training

• Two audiences

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Central to success Training

• Two audiences
• scholars

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Central to success Training

• Two audiences
• scholars
• Students

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Central to success Training

• Training scholars

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Central to success Training

• Training in
• Collaborative methodologies

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Central to success Training

• Training in
• Collaborative methodologies
• learning the theory and terminology of various
  disciplines
• Learning to listening to each other

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Central to success Training

• Training in
• Collaborative methodologies
• Methods to document the process and outcome of
  the collaboration

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Central to success Training

• Training in
• Collaborative methodologies
• Methods to document the process and outcome of
  the collaboration
• Mechanisms for communication given different
  languages and geographical distances

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Central to success Training

• Training in
• Collaborative methodologies
• Methods to document the process and outcome of
  the collaboration
• Mechanisms for communication given different
  languages and geographical distances
• How to transform scholarship into practice and
  policy

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Central to success Communication
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Central to success Communication

• Transform scholarship into practice and policy

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Central to success Communication

• Transform scholarship into practice and policy
• Three audiences of significance

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Central to success Communication

• Transform scholarship into practice and policy
• Three audiences of significance
• other scholars

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Central to success Communication

• Transform scholarship into practice and policy
• Three audiences of significance
• other scholars
• policy-makers

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Central to success Communication

• Transform scholarship into practice and policy
• Three audiences of significance
• other scholars
• policy-makers
• the public

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Communicating with other scholars
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Communicating with other scholars

• Conferences

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Communicating with other scholars

• Conferences
• publications print and online

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Communicating with other scholars

• Conferences
• publications print and online
• Psychology of Women Quarterly as an example

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Communicating with policy-makers
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Communicating with policy-makers

• Briefing reports

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Communicating with policy-makers

• Briefing reports
• Institutions, organizations and agencies should
  have staff who have advocacy responsibilities

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Communicating with the public
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Communicating with the public

• Press releases

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Communicating with the public

• Press releases through local news outlets
• User-friendly websites

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Communicating with the public

• Press releases
• User-friendly websites
• Programs at local agencies (community centers,
  libraries, schools, clinics)