Disrupting Androcentrism in Social Psychology Textbooks : A Call for Critical Reflexivity

Abstract

Previous examinations of gender representation in psychology textbooks have revealed consistent gender bias. Although this situation has improved somewhat over the past several decades, it nonetheless appears to persist. Guided by theories of social cognition, we sought to examine whether an androcentric bias is being implicitly communicated by psychology textbooks at the most immediate textual level. Using a selection of social psychology textbooks as a case study, we show how androcentrism persists in the ways research and illustrative examples are presented to readers. Given the power of textbooks as implicit and explicit conveyors of a discipline’s values, suggestions are made for a critically reflexive approach to writing and teaching psychology in order to disrupt this subtle yet potentially powerful bias.