The Gender and Health Lab introduces students to the field of feminist psychology and the broader tradition of critical psychology. Our work uses an approach that challenges assumptions and practices of mainstream psychology and centers social justice.
Broadly, we study how dominant ideas about gender, race and biomedicine shape the experience of living in a body. We are equally focused on questions of power and oppression within psychological research. Our work examines how gender intersects with other social factors--such as sexuality, race, class, and disability--to influence physical and mental health, identity, and lived experience. Areas of research include but are not limited to: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Identity; Body Image, Objectification, and Eating Disorders; Reproductive Justice (e.g. pregnancy, abortion, reproductive technologies); and Cancer.
Informed by feminist and critical theory, our work draws upon diverse research methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative approaches. Questions of how knowledge is produced, who benefits from that knowledge, and power are at the forefront of our intersectional approach.
Our Values & Commitment
The Gender and Health lab strives to generate psychological research in a community that is grounded in principles of anti-oppression and that acknowledges how power and privilege can impact group dynamics in harmful ways. We are conscious and committed to understanding how systems of oppression affect all of us. To this end, we are committed to the following: 1) creating time to discuss discrimination and oppression 2) offering opportunities for members to learn more about oppression 3) learning about one another’s lives, histories and cultures 4) promoting democratic group development by being cognizant of the type of work, opportunities, and recognition members tend to do or receive 5) holding ourselves accountable to one another and to the larger community about the broader impact of our work.