ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE

SOCIETY
Benosa, Christine Joanne
Cabuhat, Barbara Grace
Lucas, Jasmine Anne
Taytay, John Leonard
ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE SOCIETY
 ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE SOCIETY
A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its
greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago,
women's contribution to society was limited and controlled
by men.
Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in
many important areas. Women's role has changed at an
accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics,
Professional Training Jobs, Medicine, Business and Law.
Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they
have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have
attained power and have been growing in political office.
 The Place of Women in Our Society
or The Duties of Women
 Women play a very vital role in human progress and have a significant
place in the society. They are not at all inferior to men. They are
capable of sharing all the responsibilities of life. Man and woman have
been rightly compared to the wheels of the same carriage. Islam has
accorded an equal position to women in the society. Islam realized the
importance of women and granted them a very dignified position
equal to man.
 The main responsibility of a woman is to preserve the human race. As a
mother, her position is unique. She brings up the children with extreme
care. The first school of a child is the lap of his mother. It is quite true
that great man had great mothers. Napoleon said: “Give me good
mothers and I will give you a good nation.” The progress of nation
depends upon the way the mothers bring up their children. If the
mothers are educated, the whole society will progress. Women have
always played an important role in the progress of a nation.
 In modern age, women are going very well in all the fields of progress.
They are demonstrating their talents in best. They are serving as
teachers, doctors, Engineers, Administrators and even head of the
states.
 Women in early 20th-century
Experimental Psychology
 Women made a significant contribution to the development
of experimental psychology in Britain in the early 20th
century, at a time when social mores dictated that it was
unnatural for women to pursue independent careers, which
generally entailed forgoing marriage and a family.
 There were many barriers to obtaining qualifications and
limited opportunities for employment; women faced
discrimination, subordination and segregation. They were
frequently barred from common-rooms and excluded from
professional society dinners: properly bred women did not
enter rooms where men were smoking.
 Women in early 20th-century
Experimental Psychology
 Beatrice Edgell
- first British woman to obtain a doctorate in psychology. Edgell studied
experimental psychology under Oswald Külpe in Würzburg.
- set up one of the first psychological laboratories in the country at Bedford
College, London, and secured a part-time appointment at the University of
London’s Physiological Laboratory.
- was also greatly interested in memory and carried out a number of paired
associate learning experiments.
 May Smith
- Noted that the optimum time spent working depends on the nature of the
work and the individual.
- Her work extended to the effects of drugs (mainly alcohol and opium)
which led her to became an investigator for the Industrial Fatigue/Health
Research Board.
 Women in early 20th-century
Experimental Psychology
 Victoria Hazlitt
- had a keen eye for the fundamental problems of psychology.
- concluded that ‘rats improve with practice in their ability to acquire motor
habits, and…any hindrances to learning which may be offered by the
survival of old habits are more than counterbalanced by the mastery
which the practised rats gain over the general situation.
- suggests that memory is necessary but not sufficient for high intelligence.
High general ability predicted excellence in arts or science, but the
specialised tests were better at predicting examination performance,
particularly in the case of science students.
- claimed that recognition of sameness seems to come suddenly to children
but not usually before the age of three and, contrary to Piaget, that
recognition of sameness is possible for very young children.
 Women in early 20th-century
Experimental Psychology
 Conclusions
Women, despite their small numbers and the obstacles to professional
advancement, played an important role in developing psychology in Britain in
the early 20th century. Indeed, the involvement of women in psychology was
unusual in comparison with other sciences (e.g. physiology).
In terms of experimental psychology specifically, it is noteworthy that women
often undertook heroic experiments and pioneered new methods. They were
informed about European and American work but were not afraid to be
theoretically independent. A wide range of topics were investigated, with no
preference for ‘soft’ over ‘hard’ subjects. There is no evidence for the
‘territorial segregation’ i.e. separate spheres of operation for men and
women, with women occupying ‘caring’ practitioner roles, and men
‘understanding’ scientist roles, that became prevalent later in the century,
particularly in America, and which may account for the current predominance
of women in psychology.
 Women in the Philippines
 In pre-colonial times, among many ethnic groups, custom law gave women equal
rights with men. They could own and inherit property, engage in trade and
industry, and succeed to chieftainship in the absence of a male heir. They had
exclusive right to educate and to name their children. They were also the money
keepers. During the Spanish times a woman continued the use of her maiden
name after marriage, or else merely appended her husband's surname to her
own, and the children assumed the hyphenated surname.
 Women in the Philippines have traditionally controlled the family finances. In
traditional societies they have been responsible for planting and household
chores and child care although men have participated some in these duties.
Women have traditionally been expected to be involved in nurturing tasks like
education and service, while men were supposed to be leaders in politics.
 Their role of a woman in many ways is defined by Catholicism. Women
generally don't smoke or drink or eat alone. These are things associated with
prostitutes. On one hand in the Philippines, girls are twice as likely to suffer
from malnutrition as boys. On the other hand women are often invited to dinner
and evening outing unlike other Asian countries when night out are often men
only affairs.
 Women in the Philippines
 The Philippines has a matriarchal society. Women occupy a high
place in society, politics and the professions. They enjoy equal social
and political rights with men. The present-day Filipina is now more
assertive (compared to their ancestors during the Spanish era). There
is a growing women’s right movement. Gabriella is an organization
which holds a progressive platform which fights against sexual
aggression, discrimination, and oppression. [Source: Canadian Center
for Intercultural Learning+++]
 According to livinginthephilippines.com: “The Filipina enjoys equality
with men in many areas, notably in professional, business and career
areas. To understand the Filipina, one must look at the different roles
she takes in society. As she goes through life, the Filipina may take he
roles of daughter, sister, dalaga or young woman, wife, mother,
mistress, professional, employer, employee, etc. The first few roles
are more firmly entrenched in tradition and probably influence the
more modem roles that a Filipina faces. [Source:
livinginthephilippines.com]
Society for the Psychology of Women
The Society for the Psychology of Women provides an
organizational base for all feminists, women and men of all national
origins, who are interested in teaching, research, or practice in the
psychology of women. The division recognizes a diversity of women's
experiences which result from a variety of factors, including ethnicity,
culture, language, socioeconomic status, age and sexual orientation.
The division promotes feminist research, theories, education, and
practice toward understanding and improving the lives of girls and
women in all their diversities; encourages scholarship on the social
construction of gender relations across multicultural contexts; applies
its scholarship to transforming the knowledge base of psychology;
advocates action toward public policies that advance equality and
social justice; and seeks to empower women in community, national
and global leadership.
 Two publications:
1. Psychology of Women Quartely (PWQ) is a feminist,
scientific, peer-reviewed journal that publishes
empirical research, critical reviews and theoretical
articles that advance a field of inquiry, teaching
briefs, and invited book reviews related to the
psychology of women and gender. This journal is a
member of the Committee of Publication Ethics.
2. Feminist Psychologist is the official, division wide
newsletter of Div. 35 (The Society of the Psychology
of Women).
Early Pioneers
• The more prominent examples of women
maintaining their 'role' in psychology are the
instances where women were denied recognition for
their work by academic institutions. Two women who
made significant impacts in the field of psychology
were denied their doctoral degrees simply because
they were women. Apparently, their role was to be
exploited. Today, psychology is a female-
dominated scientific field, specifically in
developmental and child psychology.
Two women who made significant
impacts in the field of psychology
 Mary Whiton Calkins
Two women who made significant
impacts in the field of psychology
 Mary Calkins was known mostly for her study of self-
psychology. However, she worked to develop the
paired-association technique in psychological testing,
which evaluates a subject's emotional response to a
stimulus. Typically, this is done with word pairing. A
stimulus word is given, and the subject or patient offers
the first word that comes to mind. For example, if
someone said the word 'Trump' some people might say
'businessman' while others might say 'president.' Calkins
became the first female president of the American
Psychological Association despite being denied her
degree from Harvard.
Two women who made significant
impacts in the field of psychology
 Christine Ladd-Franklin
Two women who made significant
impacts in the field of psychology
 Christine Ladd-Franklin
 Christine Ladd-Franklin was eventually granted her
Ph.D. in psychology from Johns Hopkins. It took 42 years
after she'd finished her coursework and dissertation to
grant her the degree. Ladd-Franklin was a significant
proponent of women's rights and openly criticized
Edward Titchener for his sexist views on
experimentalism. She also rejected influential theories
on color vision and developed her own theory, which
made a lasting impression in psychology.
Sex and gender

 Most female psychologists, at one point or another,

experienced gender discrimination in academia and
in psychology. It's no surprise that several female
psychologists challenged the theories of their male
counterparts on female psychology. As more women
became prominent in the field of psychology, they
began to redefine their role as worthy contributors
to the science.