Sandra Ruth Lipsitz Bem was an American psychologist known for her works in androgyny and gender studies.
17 Facts About Sandra Bem
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Sandra Bem's pioneering work on gender roles, gender polarization and gender stereotypes led directly to more equal employment opportunities for women in the United States.
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Sandra Bem asserted that masculine and feminine dimensions could be divided into two spheres, rather than one: A person with high masculine and low feminine identification would be categorized as "masculine".
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Sandra Bem's first was the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career contribution to Psychology in 1976.
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However, Sandra Bem's work was revolutionary in that it directly challenged the traditional binary understanding of gender roles.
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At a time when women's roles were largely confined to the domestic sphere, Sandra Bem's research argued that these roles were not biologically determined but were the result of social conditioning.
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Sandra Bem recalls the head of the counseling center, Bob Morgan, encouraging her to study to become a psychiatrist.
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Sandra Bem's dissertation focused primarily on cognitive processing and problem solving with young children.
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Sandra Bem left Stanford University because her application for tenure was denied.
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Sandra Bem was born June 22,1944, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Peter and Lillian Lipsitz.
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Sandra Bem grew up in a working-class family with one younger sister, Beverly.
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Sandra Bem was raised by her Jewish working-class parents in a government-subsidized neighborhood for the first eight years of her life.
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Sandra Bem's mother was the dominant figure in her parents' relationship, and Bem recalls having a very tumultuous childhood, during which Mrs Lipsitz would become extremely emotional while upset and throw objects during arguments.
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Sandra Bem stated that she was quite unsuccessful in her attempts at flirting and dating with men, and so she internalized a belief that no man would ever want to marry her, which helped to solidify her career ambitions.
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Sandra Bem initially rejected his marriage proposal, having concerns about her own career.
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Much of Sandra Bem's family, including her mother, would not attend the wedding because it was a non-Jewish affair and they did not agree with this decision.
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Sandra Bem was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and, four years after diagnosis and after pursuing experimental treatments, she followed through with her plan to die by suicide at her home in Ithaca on May 20,2014.