Gender Studies in Psychology (1980-2016): Approximations and Distancing

Abstract

This article addresses the emergence of gender studies in psychology and how the adoption of gender as a category of historical analysis to interpret the disciplinary field of psychology had theoretical, methodological, and epistemological effects on knowledge production. A bibliographic search on the SciELO database was performed and 153 articles analyzed. The studies retrieved, grouped into 15 thematic categories, were from three psychology journals and authored by 402 investigators from 191 institutions. Qualitative-quantitative analysis showed gender inequalities in authorship and a marked presence of public universities among the institutions that most publish in this area. Psychology was found to debate gender in the form of thematic discussions in traditional fields of knowledge - such as health, education, and work - typifying the second wave of feminism. Identity and sexuality issues predominated in more recent productions. The articulation between gender and psychology, with a focus on theoretical-epistemological discussions, showed that, despite the presence of studies voicing criticism of psychology, questioning a descriptive use of gender, as well as against objective knowledge and the universality of the subject, difficulties remain in breaking with the androcentric, ethnocentric, classist, cisheteronormative locus that characterizes psychological production. The study emphasizes the need for increased awareness and forums for discussions involving gender and psychology, enabling us to resist to invisibilities that persist in this disciplinary field of knowledge.

Keywords:
Psychology; Gender Studies; Database Research; Knowledge