Intersections of Gender and Culture in Daily Life

Choices such as what you wear, how you style your hair, what you eat, and your choice of profession are all influenced to one degree or another by the culture in which you live, your gender identity, and the psychology influencing culture and gender. For example, in some historical periods, society did not deem it appropriate for women to work outside of the home. However, due to economic demands on the family or national crises such as women working in factories during World War II, some women had no choice but to go to work. Consider the intersection of social inequalities in women’s experience at that time. Women who had to work outside of the home faced inequalities due to their gender, limited education, lesser social status and for some, race, compared to women who did not have to work outside of the home. That compounded experience of inequality (e.g., gender, social status, and possibly race) is referred to as intersectionality. As defined in this week’s introduction, intersectionality is a term used to describe the life experience of an individual or a group with characteristics that can be subject to compounded forms of social inequality such as sexism and racism, sexism and sexual orientation, or physical ability and gender. It is the intersection of two or more aspects of identity.

For this Assignment, you explore how the intersectionality of diverse communities and women has changed over time in the field of psychology. You also examine how culture, gender, and society affect your daily decisions.

Click the link to review the video “Feminist Psychologists Talk About…Intersectionality.”

Psychsfeministvoices. (2014, October 6). Feminist psychologists talk about…intersectionalityLinks to an external site.. 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

Write at least 300 words addressing the following:

Explain how intersectionality of diverse communities and women has changed over time in the field of psychology.

Considering the Kort (2019) article on intersectional identities, which aspect(s) of your identity do you believe have the most influence on your behavior in your everyday life? (please share only what you are comfortable with sharing)

Your work should include at least one specific reference from this week’s Learning Resources.

Kearns, T., & Lee, D. (2015). General psychology: An introductionLinks to an external site.. GALILEO, University System of Georgia: GALILEO Open Learning Materials. 

Chapter 1, “The Origins of Psychology”

“History of Psychology” (pp. 4–20)

Kort, J. (2019, June 5). Understanding intersectional identitiesLinks to an external site.. Psychology Today. 
Media
 YouTube. https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=x0lOZ4Q7YFY

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.