Psychology of Women Section Review Volume 15 Number 2 Autumn 2013 ISSN: 1466-3724 Aims and scope HE PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN SECTION T REVIEW has been established to provide Editorial Group a forum for discussion of issues and Jane Callaghan, Editor Division of Psychology, Boughton Green Road, debates around all aspects of the Northampton NN2 7AL. psychology of women in research, teaching Email: [email protected] OR and professional practice. It aims to [email protected] promote and support academic research Jemma Tosh, Assistant Editor (Agora) Manchester Metropolitan University, and debate on issues related to the Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, psychology of women and encourage the Gaskell Campus, Hathersage Road, Manchester M13 OJA. development of theory and practice Email: [email protected] concerning gender and other social Helen Owton, Assistant Editor (Book Reviews) inequalities. In particular, it also seeks to Washington Singer Laboratories, Psychology, encourage contributions from individuals College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG. at all stages of their careers – including Email: [email protected] undergraduate and postgraduate students Advisory Group – as an appropriate forum to provide Betty Bayer Hobart and William Smith Colleges, feedback on new ideas and first Geneva, New York, USA. publications. It promotes a reviewing Erica Burman Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. process where positive and constructive Virginia Braun University of Auckland, feedback is provided to authors. New Zealand. Rose Capdevila Open University, UK. The Psychology of Women Section Review Karen Ciclitera Middlesex University, UK. aims to publish: Pippa Dell University of East London, UK. Kathy Doherty Sheffield Hallam University, UK. l theoretical and empirical papers; Hannah Frith University of Brighton, UK. l reviews of relevant research and books; Nicola Gavey University of Auckland, New Zealand. l special issues and features; Alexa Hepburn Nottingham Trent University, UK. Sue Jackson Victoria University, Wellington, l observations, commentaries, interviews, New Zealand. short papers and original or non- Helen Malson University of the West of England, traditional submissions in the ‘Agora’ UK. Anastasia Maw University of Cape Town, section; South Africa. Paula Nicolson Royal Holloway, l correspondence. University of London, UK. It is produced by the Psychology of Women Lindsay O’Dell Open University, UK. Ann Phoenix Open University, UK. Section of the British Psychological Society, Wendy Open University, UK. and mailed free of charge to all members of Stainton Rogers the Section. It is available on subscription to Janet M. 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Editorial Jane Callaghan ELCOME to the Autumn edition of and cisgenderism, Natacha suggests that the Psychology of Women Section transexclusionary practices (including tran- WReview. We on the Editorial Team sexclusionary feminist practices) effectively are feeling refreshed and enthused by the function in a transphobic manner. She goes fantastic POWS Annual Conference which on to outline how psychological research on was held at Cumberland Lodge in July this transgender often reproduces and year. We are delighted to include in this entrenches transphobic attitudes by failing edition a collection of papers from both the to take into account the culture of cisgen- 2012 and the 2013 annual conference. derism within which psychological difficul- Important news from the POWS ties are constituted. In her paper reflecting Committee is that, in 2014, in addition to our on her keynote address to the 2013 POWS wonderful POWS Annual Conference, we Annual Conference, Meg Barker blends will also be hosting a one-day student confer- academic biography and theory to explore ence at the University of Northampton on the development of her thinking around 25 July 2014. Please do encourage under- gender and kink, arriving at a sex-critical graduate and postgraduate students to attend position. Ruth Cross explores how young and to present their work in a supportive and women construct the ‘risky behaviour’. encouraging environment. Further details Using a Q-methodological approach, she will appear in the Spring edition of POWS-R, highlights how women might consider risk and will also appear soon on the POWS taking as positive, and the construction of website. risk taking as agentic in women’s representa- Many of the papers in this edition focus tions of risk and healthy behaviours. 2013 on the exclusionary and inclusionary poten- POWS Postgraduate Prize Winner Helen tials of language and discursively constituted Winter explores the implications of the adult social practices. Drawing on both interview diagnosis of ADHD for women. Stephen data, and a documentary analysis, 2012 Symons, 2013 POWS Undergraduate Prize POWS Postgraduate Prize Winner, Rebecca Winner presents a discursive analysis of the Swenson, explores how gender neutral labels accounts of UK swingers, exploring notions like ‘queer’ and ‘gay’ function for lesbian of free choice and the construction of women. She explores how the term ‘lesbian’ gender in their stories. has become highly stigmatised, and acknowl- In the first of our focus pieces on feminist edges how more gender neutral terms might methodology, Megan Chawansky explores enable women to position themselves in the significance of intersectionality in femi- creative ways in relation to these construc- nist methodology in sports studies, illus- tions, but also warns of the risk of an obfus- trating her argument with an example from cation of women as lesbians Natacha sport for development and peace research. Kennedy focuses on the difficulties a cisgen- In the ‘Commentary’ and ‘Event Reviews’ derist culture produces for young trans- sections, Zowie Davy gives an informative gender people. She argues that the weakly and challenging account of her reflections saturated discursive nature of cisgendered on the ‘Classifying Sex: Debating DSM-5’ culture renders its assumptions taken for conference in Cambridge, UK, 4–5 July granted and often poorly articulated. 2013. Helen Owton reports on her atten- Drawing a distinction between transphobia dance at ‘Interfacing with older LGBT Psychology of Women Section Review – Vol. 15 No. 2 – Autumn 2013 1 © The British Psychological Society ISSN 1466–3724 Jane Callaghan citizens Two-day Masterclass: Challenging We are still interested to receive pieces discrimination’, at Bournemouth University, on feminism and methodology, for our 17–18 April 2013. special focus. If you would be interested in In the ‘Book Reviews’ section, Iona writing either a full article or a commentary Tanguay review’s Svend Brinkman’s The Self on any methodological area, we would be at the Centre of a Reflective Approach: A Qualita- delighted to hear from you. tive Inquiry into Everyday Life, and Chloe Law reviews Fat, by Deborah Lupton. The Sage Jane E.M. Callaghan Handbook of Visual Research Methods is Editor reviewed by Emma Rich, Jayanthiny Kangatharan reviews The Psychology of Women by Margaret Matlin, and Nollaig Frost reviews Rutherford et al.’s Handbook of International Feminisms: Perspectives on Psychology, Women, Culture and Rights. Autumn’s the time for Harvest Festivals! 2 Psychology of Women Section Review – Vol. 15 No. 2 – Autumn 2013 Keynote Address Cultural cisgenderism: Consequences of the imperceptible Natacha Kennedy At the 2012 POWS Annual Conference, Natacha Kennedy delivered a powerful and challenging keynote on cultural cisgenderism. Her talk is reproduced here. Introduction: An inadequate metaphor culture of cisgenderism in what they identify HE FILM COMEDY I Was A Male War as an ‘invisible college’. They characterised Bride (Hawks, 1949) depicted a newly- this type of cisgenderism as: Tmarried Frenchman played by Cary ‘…a prejudicial ideology, rather than an Grant attempting to accompany his individual attitude, that is systemic, multi- American wife to the US at the end of World level and reflected in authoritative War Two. However, the US congress had only cultural discourses. […] Cisgenderism foreseen that American soldiers would be problematises the categorical distinction men and would be likely to marry European itself between classes of people as either women. When an American servicewoman ‘trans-gender’ or ‘cisgender’ (or as falls in love with a French soldier her efforts ‘gender variant’ or unmarked) […] to ensure he can accompany her to America We consider cisgenderism to be a form of result in a huge, and in this instance, quite ‘othering’ that takes people categorised comic struggle with both bureaucracy and as ‘transgender’ as ‘the effect to