Chapter 4 - The Intersection of Gender and Ethnicity

Question 1

What are the recurring themes of this chapter?

Answer 1

Theme #1: Similarities and Differences (stemming from intersectionality)
Theme #2: Simultaneous Oppression and Strength.

Question 2

Gendered Racism

Answer 2

A form of oppression and bias based simultaneously on both gender and race/ethnicity.

Question 3

Hispanic

Answer 3

People of Spanish descent, whether from Mexico, Puerto Rico, or elsewhere.

Question 4

Latinos/Latina

Answer 4

Latin American people; also refers specifically to Latin American men/A Latin American girl or woman.

Question 5

Latinx

Answer 5

A Latin American person, unmarked by gender.

Question 6

African American/s

Answer 6

Americans of African descent.

“Negro” was the respectful term prior to the 1960s. Activists of the Black Power Movement urged the term “Blacks”. In the 1980s, ties to heritage were emphasized and a shift was made towards the term “African American”.

Question 7

American Indians/Native American

Answer 7

The indigenous peoples of North America.

There is controversy about both terms. “Native American” is argued to exclude indigenous people (the original/native people of a region) while “American Indian” is argued to be a reflection of a geographical miscalculation per the usage of “Indian”.

Question 8

Asian Americans

Answer 8

Americans of Asian descent.

People from the Indian subcontinent are usually considered Asian American as well. It is often that people of Asian heritage are grouped with people of Pacific Islander heritage (Native Hawaiians and those from the Philippines, Guam, and Fiji) as “Asian and Pacific Islander” (API).

Question 9

White/Caucasian

Answer 9

Sometimes used to refer to light-skinned people.

Problems arise from “Caucasian” deriving from the biological conceptualization of race (the Caucasoid race) and those native to the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia. Also, there are many Hispanic Americans and people of Middle Eastern descent who are light-skinned and labeled as “White” despite not experiencing life in the USA as a “White” person would.

Question 10

Biracial/Multiracial

Answer 10

Identifying as being from two or more racial groups.

About 3% of Americans identify as biracial/multiracial.

Question 11

Race

Answer 11

A socially constructed system of human classification, once considered a biological concept referring to discrete and exclusive groups of people with common physical features.

Question 12

Why is the concept of “RACE” problematic?

Answer 12

Originally from White colonists, race was considered a biological concept referring to distinct/exclusive groups of people with a common set of physical features (skin color, hair texture/color, etc).

One problem with the concept of race is the assumption that racial groups are distinct and exclusive; that races are “pure” from people have mated exclusively with other members of their race and not others. Yet people have long mated outside of their racial groups meaning that groups cannot be distinct or exclusive.

Question 13

Ethnic Group

Answer 13

A group of people who share a common culture and language.

Ethnic groups are flexible and often self-defined.

Question 14

What is the issue with European Americans being the norm in psychological research (just as men have been?)

Answer 14

THIS IS THE ERROR OF OVERGENERALIZATION. Studies based exclusively on samples of White College students or other European American groups involves making an unjustified inference from an all-White sample to all people.

The experiences of people of color are marginalized/made invisible. Consequentially, Whites represent “people” and everyone else becomes “subcultures”.

If psychology is to be a science of all people, then the field needs to study people of diverse origins.

Question 15

5 Problems with race as a biological concept:

Answer 15

1. Race - Problemativ in the assumption that racial groups are distinct and exclusive (“pure” and only mating within the same group)
2. Promotes essentialism and denies the contextual factors that oppress people of color.
3. Psychological research has ignored different meanings that may be attached to different words/gestures/etc since people of different ethnic groups may have different understandings of words even if the same language is spoken. This is especially apparent when standardized tests are involved.
4. Possibility of observer effects; namely, race bias in observations. With biased observations, there would be in-group favoritism that results in observers giving higher/more positive ratings to members of their own group.
5. Possibility of bias in interpretation of results.

Question 16

Ethnocentrism

Answer 16

The tendency to regard one’s own ethnic group as superior to others and to believe that its customs and way of life are the standards by which other cultures should be judged.

Question 17

Eurocentrism

Answer 17

The tendency to view the world from a European American point of view and to evaluate other ethnic groups in reference to European Americans.

Question 18

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR:

Answer 18

1. Collaboration
2. Theory
3. Measurement
4. Subcultural variations
5. Cultural heritage
6. Difficult interpretations
7. Race/ethnicity versus social class

Question 19

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Collaboration

Answer 19

Are researchers from the ethnic group under study included as collaborators? As outsiders, all-White teams of researchers may get it wrong.

Question 20

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Theory

Answer 20

Is the theory that is the basis for the research appropriate for this ethnic group? If it is inappropriate, it should be revised or a new theory should be formulated.

Question 21

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Measurement

Answer 21

Are the psychological measures being used reliable and valid in this ethnic group? If a measure does not meet standards, it should be revised or a new measure should be devised.

Question 22

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Subcultural variations

Answer 22

Be aware of subcultural variations. For example, while many Asian American groups have common or shared experiences, they also have some important differences. Thus, we should be attentive to differences between, say, Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans.

Question 23

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Cultural heritage

Answer 23

Do the researchers understand the cultural heritage of the group being studied, including the values of the culture of origin (e.g., Japan for Japanese Americans) and the history of that ethnic group in the United States? Researchers need to be culturally competent.

Question 24

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Deficit interpretations

Answer 24

Do not assume that differences between two ethnic groups reflect a deficit within one of those groups. In particular, differences between European Americans and people of color do not imply deficits among people of color.

Question 25

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR - Race/ethnicity versus social class

Answer 25

In many research designs, race and social class are confounded, largely because many racial/ethnic groups in the United States are overrepresented among lower income people. When racial/ethnic differences are found in research, it is often unclear (and perhaps impossible to tell) whether such differences are due to race or social class (or both). Researchers should remove this confound from their research designs or at least be very cautious in interpretations of findings of any ethnic group differences.

Question 26

Conceptual equivalence

Answer 26

In multicultural research, the construct measured by a scale has the same meaning in all cultures being studied.

Question 27

Translational equivalence

Answer 27

In multicultural research, whether a scale written in one language and translated into another has the same meaning in both languages.

Question 28

Racial microaggressions

Answer 28

Subtle insults directed at people of color, consciously or nonconsciously.

Question 29

Asian American Population Statistics

Answer 29

Asian Americans make up nearly 6% of the U.S. population. Asian Americans come from 40 distinct ethnic groups that speak 40 languages from more than 20 countries. The largest Asian ethnic groups in the US are Chinese (22%), Indian (20%), Filipino (18%), Vietnamese (11%), Korean (10%), and Japanese (5%).

Question 30

Asian American five shared core values

Answer 30

1. Collectivism: Others’ needs, especially those of the family, should be considered before one’s own needs.
2. Conformity to norms: Individuals should conform to the expectations of their family and society.
3. Emotional control: Emotions should be controlled and not openly expressed.
4. Family recognition through achievement: One’s educational success brings honor to the family, and one’s educational failure brings shame.
5. Humility: One should be humble and never boastful.

Question 31

Latinx Population Statistics

Answer 31

Nearly 18% of the population in the United States identifies as Hispanic. Of those living on the mainland, their backgrounds are as follows: 63% Mexican, 9% Puerto Rican, 4% Cuban, 3% Dominican, and 13% from other Central and South American countries. Some Latinx identify as White, some as Black, and many as neither. Most have both European and indigenous ancestors and therefore may identify as mestizo.

Question 32

Familismo

Answer 32

In Latinx culture, a sense of obligation and connectedness with both one’s immediate and extended family.

Question 33

American Indian Population Statistics

Answer 33

American Indians and Alaska Natives make up 1.2% of the population of the USA. Recognizing tribal variations; American Indians come from 550 different federally recognized tribes (as well as other tribes) and 220 Alaska native villages. Indian societies were invaded by European Americans, so many current Indian practices resemble European American culture as a result of forced acculturation, Christianization, and economic changes.

Question 34

Historical trauma

Answer 34

Cumulative psychological wounding over generations resulting from massive group trauma.

Question 35

What is a basic tenet of intersectionality?

Answer 35

A basic tenet of intersectionality is that gender and race/ethnicity are interconnected.

Gender roles are constructed within the cultural context of a particular ethnic group and the broader political system, so similarities and differences exist in gender roles across diverse racial/ethnic groups. Keep in mind that strict gender roles rooted in the gender binary may create a particularly challenging developmental context for queer and trans persons. Very little research on this topic is available.

Question 36

Egalitarian gender roles

Answer 36

Separate but equally valued tasks are assigned to men and women

Question 37

Factors that contribute to the greater rates of female-headed households among African Americans

Answer 37

1. Lower heterosexual marriage rates among African Americans. - Among Black women in 2015, 26% were married (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016a). At the same time, 18% were divorced or separated and 48% had never been married. For comparison, among White women, 51% were married, 15% were divorced or separated, and 24% had never been never married. This pattern of lower marriage rates is a result of many of the factors listed below.
2. The obstacles African American men have encountered in seeking and maintaining jobs necessary to support their families. - Since World War II, the number of manufacturing jobs in the United States has declined dramatically. These jobs were a major source of employment for working-class Black men. The result has been a decrease in working-class jobs and an increase in joblessness among Black men.
3. The unequal gender ratio among African Americans. - The most recent census found that, among adults, there were only 83 Black men for every 100 Black women, compared with 95 White men per 100 White women. This gender ratio is driven by two factors: Black men’s higher incarceration rates and early death rates.
4. Interracial dating and marriage patterns of Black men. - For example, Black men are far more likely to marry White women than Black women are to marry White men