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Chapter 4 - Being the Change You Want to See in the World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2022

By
Susan Basow
Edited by
Jamila Bookwala  and
Nicky J. Newton
Jamila Bookwala
Affiliation:
Lafayette College, Pennsylvania
Nicky J. Newton
Affiliation:
Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario
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Summary

In this chapter, Basow reflects on how she has tried to create the type of professional environment she wished for growing up. She explains the importance of role models to her, personally, and how this translated into a research program examining how gender affects the way people are perceived and evaluated, with a special focus on gender bias in student evaluations. Basow also describes how she became an agent of change on campus, in her local community, and in the field of psychology, working to create a more inclusive and equitable world for women. Among the lessons she learned over her lifetime were the importance of perseverance and naïve optimism, keeping your eye on your goal, developing and maintaining a supportive social network, and the impossibility of having it all, at least all at the same time.

Type
Chapter
Information
Reflections from Pioneering Women in Psychology , pp. 54 - 65
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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