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 DOI: 10.1177/0361684312456301

2012 36: 510Psychology of Women QuarterlyTaryn A. Myers

Book Review: Women and Gender: Making a Difference (4th ed.)  

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Each chapter ends with an engaging ‘‘Considering Diversity’’

section. Brannon’s chapter ‘‘Sexuality’’ is a particularly good

example of the benefits of the gender perspective because it

clearly compares and contrasts male and female anatomy, atti-

tudes, and experience. Helgeson’s text combines sociological

and psychological approaches in very advantageous ways. Her

chapter ‘‘Sex Differences in Health: Evidence and Explana-

tions,’’ for example, discusses morbidity and mortality statis-

tics, as well as health behaviors. And it clearly emphasizes

that apparent gender differences may be due to the ‘‘artifacts’’

of confounding variables, such as socioeconomic status.

Both books do a good job with many topics, but I do hope

future editions will have better coverage of women’s unique

concerns. Otherwise, I think the change from psychology of

women to psychology of gender will be a step backward

rather than a step forward.

Reference

Hoffnung, M. (2011). Teaching about motherhood: Revisioning

family. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 327–330. doi:10.

1177/0361684311401824

Bio

Michele Hoffnung, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the Quin-

nipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut.

Janice D. YoderWomen and Gender: Making a Difference (4th ed.). New York, NY:Sloan Publishing, 2013. 532 pp. $84.95 (paperback). ISBN:1597380407

Reviewed by: Taryn A. Myers, Virginia Wesleyan College, Norfolk, VADOI: 10.1177/0361684312456301

For those who teach undergraduate courses such as Psychol-

ogy of Women or Psychology of Gender, it is often difficult

to find a textbook that is engaging to students and also

includes cutting-edge research findings from the science of

psychology. The fourth edition of Yoder’s Women and

Gender: Making a Difference manages to meet both of these

needs while being extremely readable and informative for

both student and professor alike.

Yoder’s text, the previous edition of which was published

in 2007, has been an excellent option for coursework for

years, and this recent edition is no exception. Yoder’s

increased focus on a social justice approach to issues related

to the psychology of women make this edition even more

applicable to university courses where service-learning and

other active-learning activities are becoming increasingly

popular. Other useful additions include an emphasis on the

updated principles for feminist psychotherapy created by a

joint task force of members of American Psychological

Association Divisions 17 and 35, cutting-edge information

about intersexuality, and incorporation of research from the

fields of body image, objectification theory, and ambivalent

sexism. The clear explanations of novel findings from

extremely recent studies throughout the book are particularly

helpful. Most citations in the book are now from the last

decade of work, ensuring that students receive up-to-date

information about topics where new information provides a

more holistic and inclusionary view.

The book is very user-friendly, with information clearly

explained in language appropriate for even first-year and

sophomore students. Boxes in each chapter are helpful and

thought-provoking, making them excellent potential

jumping-off points for class discussion. However, sometimes

placement of the boxes in the chapter is far from the location

where the topics are discussed in the text, disrupting continu-

ity. The book is written to engage the reader at all times, as

Yoder includes anecdotes from her own experiences as a

woman, scholar, and parent throughout the book. She also

grabs the reader’s interest with powerful vignettes, like those

that begin Chapter 13’s discussion of violence against

women, and statements that challenge, such as a brain teaser

about the surgeon that leads into Chapter 7’s discussion of

sexism. This text also challenges the reader to explore topics

further. Each chapter ends not only with a list of suggested

readings but a brief explanation as to why each is recom-

mended, making connections for students who may otherwise

ignore such helpful lists.

In reading this book, it is clear that Yoder draws on her own

experience as a researcher, professor, and editor. For example,

in Chapter 1, she seems to anticipate the types of questions and

arguments often encountered when concepts such as oppres-

sion and inequality are introduced in the classroom, such as

‘‘What about sexism against men?’’ and ‘‘What about

racism?’’ The inclusion of these issues in the initial chapter

reflects the wisdom of someone who has encountered these

arguments previously. Chapter 2 also includes a frank, no-

holds-barred discussion of the problems in the field of psychol-

ogy regarding how psychologists have traditionally treated

both the topic of gender and female academics and clinicians.

There are two minor concerns with this text. First, the

material about balancing multiple roles is divided into

Chapter 8, which explores close relationships, and Chapter

9, which examines work-related issues. This division seems

to further emphasize, rather than continue to challenge, the

conflict between work and home life for women. Second,

although it is discussed later in Chapter 13, the omission

of any reference to sexual harassment in Chapter 9’s treat-

ment of sexist discrimination seemed problematic. How-

ever, for every small issue to be found with the text, there

510 Psychology of Women Quarterly 36(4)

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are multiple strengths that more than compensate, such

as the inclusion of development across the life span and

clear explanations of topics that are often difficult for stu-

dents (and even faculty) to grasp, such as objectification

theory.

Women and Gender: Making a Difference is not only an

excellent overview of how we ‘‘do’’ the psychology of gender

but also of how we ‘‘do’’ psychology in general. Yoder’s

descriptions of the types of research methodologies and statis-

tical techniques utilized in this area of research are much more

detailed than many other undergraduate texts—including

many undergraduate texts that focus on research methods. In

particular, her clear introduction of concepts such as

moderators, mediators, and meta-analysis in Chapter 2 is

invaluable for students who will be exposed to these methods

frequently when reading primary source literature in this area.

Rather than omit these difficult constructs, it seems that Yoder

trusts students to understand them. This trust, which is

reflected in her frank treatment of numerous difficult

topics throughout the text, not only shows Yoder’s insight

into students’ minds but also illustrates yet another

application of the feminist values this book sets as one

of its goals.

Bio

Taryn A. Myers, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychology at

Virginia Wesleyan College.

Else-Quest et al. 511

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