The research of Young, MacKenzie, & Sherif (1980), designed to test Laws' (1975) analysis of token women in academia, is criticized on several methodological and conceptual grounds. The appropriateness of the study as a test of Laws' theory is questioned since no evidence is offered for the validity of the independent variables as measures of tokenism. Alternative explanations for their data, centering primarily on generational differences in attitudes and values, are examined briefly.
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References
1.
LawsJ. L.The psychology of tokenism: An analysis. Sex Roles, 1975, 1, 51–67.
2.
YoungC. J.MackenzieD. L.SherifC. W.In search of token women in academia. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1980, 4, 508–525.
