The Female Stereotype and Occupational Therapy for Women with Depression

This article, the first in a series of three, examines the possibility that women's greatly increased risk of developing depression may result from a number of social processes. A review of the feminist psychological literature challenges the assumption that biological vulnerability and personality factors are largely responsible for women's suffering. Theories that look at the effects of sex-role socialisation on girls' self-concept and emotional adjustment are briefly considered. Then the traditional and prevalent role of house-wife and its effects on mental health are described. Finally, there is a look at the power relationships between the sexes that probably underpin both women's socialisation and their customary roles.