Gender Differences in Naming and Eponymy in Psychology

Abstract

Four analyses were made to assess gender differences concerning naming in psychology (1) analysis of gender naming in pre-1975 textbooks, (2) analysis of gender naming in post-1975 textbooks, (3) analysis of gender naming by women authors versus men authors, and (4) analysis of gender in eponyms per se. Baseline data from gender of published authors via Psychological Abstracts indexes served as an adjustment factor for the post-1975 data when comparing frequency counts of men's names with women's names. In one analysis, female authors referenced more women on the average than did male authors. In all analyses, women were significantly under-referenced proportionately to men.