Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
The struggle to protect Black girls and women remains. Unfortunately, Black women remain vulnerable to sexual violence due to what we call intersectionality, the systematic oppression Black women experience based upon their race and gender. Here is what you can do to help.
November 20 is the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). To date, in 2019, at least 19 transgender women and two additional transgender/gender-diverse people have been killed as targets of anti-transgender violence. Here are several tips for how to support and advocate for transgender people and transgender women of color in particular.
Native American people are often overlooked, considered extinct, romanticized, forgotten, ignored and bear the burden of negative stereotypes. Belonging to a socially invisible community has consequences beyond being misunderstood and stereotyped. It can lead to much more dire outcomes – specifically, the public disregard of the epidemic of violence against Native American women and girls reflects passive cultural genocide.
In this blog post, two psychologists draw insights from a peer mentor on the real world experiences of survivors of sex trafficking and discuss ways in which psychologists and peer mentors can partner in the fight against human trafficking.
Every year many children and adults creatively plan out their costumes for the one night where spooky wins. And even though for the most part the holiday may seem harmless it can have scarier consequences for our girls. With the acceptance of sexualized women’s costumes, the line for what’s appropriate to wear at different ages is increasingly blurred. Each Halloween, as girls get older, they are bombarded with costumes that are progressively more sexualized and socially acceptable. The question is, should this be a concern?
did whatever I thought would provide the best start for my daughter and cement me as a “good mom”. And as a young 21-year-old, unmarried, Black mother I felt even more pressure to prove this to others since I knew my age, amongst other things, unfortunately said otherwise to some people. Absent the knowledge and support of any family or friends that breastfed their children, I did my research and decided to breastfeed my daughter and enrolled in WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, infants, and Children). I was doing what I was thought was best for my daughter while simultaneously, purposefully performing an act that I thought would shatter anyone’s doubt that I could be a good, competent parent.
The #MeToo movement has elevated the conversation about women and violence. However, there is one population that often gets neglected from that conversation: women with disabilities. How prevalent is interpersonal violence in women with disabilities?
Women with disabilities have higher rates of experiencing interpersonal violence (e.g., physical violence, rape/sexual violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and control of sexual/reproductive health) than women without disabilities.
Alarmingly, maternal mortality rates for women living in the U.S. are the highest in the developed world with stark racial disparities. Black women specifically have the highest maternal mortality rate in the U.S. and are nearly four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared to White women.
Feminist pathways theorists argue that women and girls have different risk factors then men for entry into the criminal justice system. In particular, there is growing recognition that incarcerated women experience high rates of interpersonal violence (IPV) and that their exposure is often repeated and includes multiple forms of violence.
Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend the American Psychological Association’s I am Psyched! for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month event honoring prominent psychologists who are women of Asian descent. Each honoree was presented with an Inspiring History, Inspiring Lives citation by Dr. Arthur C. Evans (APA’s Chief Executive Officer) for their work towards transforming society for the better and for having broken barriers in their respective professional careers.
Psychology Benefits Society 