Gender and Awards in Psychology in Puerto Rico: An Historical Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37226/rcp.v6i1.6319Keywords:
Awards, gender, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Psychological AssociationAbstract
At the international level, women have been discriminated against and undervalued in different areas of scientific research. Compared to men, women have published fewer scientific papers, have a lower h-Index, and have received fewer recognition and awards. This phenomenon, known as the Matilda effect, persists in many areas of scientific activity, despite the competence and skill that many women demonstrate in scientific research. In the United States, a similar trend has been documented in psychology, where women psychologists receive only about 30% of prestigious awards given by the American Psychological Association. We investigated if the same gender disparity exists in Puerto Rico in the present study. We utilized data from the two most prestigious awards given by the Puerto Rico Psychological Association: Psychologist of the Year Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. We found that in Puerto Rico, a similar proportion of women and men receive those awards. Finally, we present some ideas that could explain why in Puerto Rico, there is not an apparent gender disparity regarding those prestigious awards.
Keywords: Awards, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Psychological Association, gender
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Copyright (c) 2022 Alfonso Martínez-Taboas, Irma Roca de Torres, Frances Boulon-Jiménez
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