Recent Articles
Categories
History of Women in Psychology
Over the years, the number of women pursuing psychology as a career has greatly increased (Sentell et al., 2001). Despite the growing number of women in the field of psychology, there is still an evident pay gap depending upon gender. The same is true with many other professions (Sentell et al., 2001). The gender pay gap is defined here as the difference in women’s earnings in relation to the earnings of men (Pelletier et al., 2019). It is derived from outdated societal attitudes and beliefs about the place and value of women in the workplace (Government of New Brunswick, n.d.).
History of the Gender Pay Gap
Data has shown that male psychologists earn more when compared to female psychologists with the same or similar education (e.g., master’s-level or doctoral-level psychologists). Several explanations have been employed to explain this gap. One explanation is human capital, some examples being education and professional experience. Although this explanation is widely used, the data shows that women in Canada now have higher levels of education on average than men (Pelletier et al. 2019). Another explanation relies on the assumption that women take on the majority role regarding childcare and domestic obligations. The difference in priority of obligations is said to lead to a difference in career paths and, therefore, salary. A final explanation of the gender pay gap refers to the specialization women choose to pursue. There is a tendency for society to place lesser value on some specializations that are seen to be less time-demanding or more care-oriented, which women may choose more. These explanations are important in the context of psychology because of the vast number of career paths that can be chosen in the field (i.e., theoretical orientation, work setting, and patient caseload) (Sentell et al., 2001). Psychology-related careers also offer many different work settings such as private practice, organizations, or hospitals.
Image of Adrienne Gulliver
Effects of the Gender Pay Gap on Mental Health
The gender pay gap affects much more than what is reflected in a person's paycheck. It can also have profound effects on mental health (Steig, 2020). Scholars have linked increased rates of anxiety disorders and depression in women when they are subjected to stressors, including lower wages for the same work. It can create negative situations that can be exhausting to women in their daily lives. Unfortunately, Steig commented that women often internalize the wage decrease and blame themselves instead of failings inherent to the system. Gender pay inequity, therefore, has a substantial impact on mental health (Steig, 2020).
Pay Gap Statistic
At the current pace, it has been cited that it could take two hundred years to close the gender pay gap (Steig, 2020). According to Statistics Canada data, female employees earned $0.87 for every dollar earned by male employees in 2018 (Pelletier et al., 2019). In the Atlantic region, women’s earnings averaged between 7.4% and 9.4% less than men’s earnings by province (Pelletier et al., 2019). This data is a cross-sectional view that applies across all sectors. Gulliver’s research will focus on the field of psychology to help understand this sector specifically, for which recent data is unfortunately not yet published by government sources.
UNB's Research into the Pay Gap
Adrienne Gulliver, from Saint John, New Brunswick, graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with honours in psychology in 2014. After earning her undergraduate degree, Gulliver obtained a diploma in holistic nutrition, leading her to pursue a Masters’s Degree in Applied Health Services Research at UNB. After being introduced to research projects during her honour’s degree, Adrienne found the process intriguing and invaluable for preparing her for her Masters' experience. Her previous experience also helped narrow down her focus for her current research project. Adrienne's current research focuses on the gender pay gap within the healthcare profession, specifically Canadian psychology. By accessing the UNB Research Data Centre, Gulliver uses the Statistics Canada data holdings to analyze the 2016 Canadian population census data for differences between men’s and women’s earnings in the psychology sector. Her research project also looks at other factors contributing to the gender pay gap. There remain several difficulties regarding the number of steps regarding the extraction, management, privacy protection, and analysis of data related to the gender pay gap.. Still, Gulliver is confident about her abilities, as well as the abilities of her supervisor: "My supervisor, Dr. Gupta, is fantastic and she has years of experience, especially with the Research Data Centre and the data sets available there." Dr. Sarah Balcom, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing, is also involved in Gulliver’s project. Once her research is complete, Gulliver hopes that the project might lead to greater gender inclusion and equity, translating into better health service provisions, especially for women. Gulliver was originally drawn to her project for two reasons. Firstly, due to her personal interest in the field of psychology, and secondly, because the gender gap has existed for as long as wages have been measured; unfortunately, there is still a lot to fix.
“It’s time that we make a change because we know that women are just as capable as men, especially women in the healthcare field; they deserve equal pay and equal treatment.”
Although unsure of her exact future, Adrienne has contemplated continuing her research into a Ph.D. program and is very interested in the intersections between the social sciences, the health sciences, and the fields of policymaking. When asked what advice she could give undergraduate students wanting to get involved in research, she suggested contacting their department supervisors and professors. Adrienne reached out to a department supervisor and was connected to different research opportunities, leading her to summer employment as a research assistant (for key results from that work, please see the following article https://theasrj.com/articles/vitalsignsnb). Adrienne summarized her experience, stating that while the research world can be overwhelming and intimidating, being part of a great team can help you step by step. Adrienne also stressed that you need to find a topic that you are interested in.
“You want to be involved in a project that you’re passionate about because you’re going to be married to it for a couple of years.”
Conclusion
Much of what has been stated in this article is not unique to psychologists. In fact, the pay gap extends to most professions through the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, occupation, educational level, and country (Lips, 2003). The gender pay gap is inevitably wrong, and continual change in this area is needed until it is eradicated in the field of psychology. Research can bring clarity and focus to this injustice. We would like to thank Adrienne, Dr. Gupta, and Dr. Balcom, for their work within this critical area of research, and we will be waiting anxiously for their results.
References
Astin, H. S. (1972). Employment and Career Status of Women Psychologists. American Psychologist, 27(5), 371-381. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.hil.unb.ca/10.1037/h0034166
American Psychological Association, Committee on Women in Psychology. (2017). The changing gender composition of psychology: Update and expansion of the 1995 task force report. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/gender-composition/task-force-report.pdf
Boatswain, S., Brown, N., Fiksenbaum, L., Goldstein, L., Greenglass, E., Nadler, E., Pyke, S. W. (2001). Canadian Feminist Psychology: Where Are We Now? Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 42(4), 276-285. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086896
Goodheart, C. D. & Markham, B. (1992). The Feminization of Psychology: Implications for Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 29(1), 130-138. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.29.1.130
Government of New Brunswick. (n.d.). Women's Equality: Wage gap. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/women/Economic_Security/content/Wage_Gap.html
Kalin, R. & Grant, B. A. (1981). Sex Differences in Employment Experiences of 1976 Canadian Graduates in Psychology. Canadian Psychology, 22(3), 238-246. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0081172
Leland, D. E., & Nelson-Wernick, E. (1983). Practice in the Recruitment and Hiring of Faculty for Psychology Departments in Canadian Universities. Canadian Psychology, 24(2), 105-118. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0080713
Pelletier, R, Patterson, M, & Moyser, M. (2019). Labour Statistics: Research Papers: The gender wage gap in Canada: 1998 to 2018. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-004-m/75-004-m2019004-eng.htm
Russo, N. F., Olmedo, E. L., Stapp, J. & Fulcher, R. (1981). Women and Minorities in Psychology. American Psychologist, 36(11), 1315-1363. 0003-0-6X/81/3611-131S-00.75
Sentell, T., Pingitore, D., Scheffler, R., Schwalm, D., & Haley, M. (2001). Gender differences in practice patterns and income among psychologists in professional practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32(6), 607–617. https://doi.org/10.1037//0735-7028.32.6.607
Stieg, C. (2020). How the gender pay gap affects women's mental health. Health and Wellness. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/how-the-gender-pay-gap-affects-womens-mental-health.html
Authors
Featured Researcher
Follow the ASRJ
Check us out on Twitter!
-
RT @scienceatlantic: Science Atlantic #Psych2019 is happening at @MountAllison for the first time since 2007 when we were still known as… https://t.co/Zsx55ERGJx