Women in Psychology

A Model to Aspire to : The Mother of Modern Management

Introduction

The Victorian Age , which refers to the times and events in Europe during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901 ) of England has come to connote a particular standard of living and a certain status of women indicative of female servitude , subservience and oppression . Mary Ann Burki believes that literature provides a valuable means of understanding the lives of Victorian women , a means that cannot be attained in history books or encyclopedias (Burki , 1975 ) Women of that time were the product

of the attitudes and feelings of the time , and the subject of this essay , Dr . Lillian Moller Gilbreth , was likewise , but she managed to achieve greatness despite Victorian age attitudes and obstacles . Although faced with the obstacles of living her day to day life as a faithful and obedient wife with a similar work ethic as that of a man but focused on the home , Lillian Moller Gilbreth managed to achieve a level of greatest that surpassed most of the women in her time

Lillian Moller Gilbreth was born in Oakland California on May 24 1878 . In a time when it was common for women to be forced to aspire at nothing more than marriage , motherhood and becoming a governess , Dr Gilbreth managed to become a prolific author , the recipient of many awards , a mother of 12 and the "mother of modern management (Carey and Gilbreth , 1948 , 1963 Carey and Gilbreth , 1950 ) perhaps the first true American superwoman of note (Maisel and Smart , 1997 ) a woman who successfully combined career and home life . Unlike another notable woman who lived between 1850 and 1950 , the miserly and hated Hetty (Howland Robinson ) Green "The Witch of Wall Street (1835 - 1916 ) who parleyed a 10 million inheritance into over 100 million , mistreated her son , viewed her husband as a useless burden and cut him off , Lillian Gilbreth lived a happy married life , raised a large family and managed to achieve greatness sufficient to leave a significant legacy in two separate disciplines , psychology and engineering , for others to follow (Sullivan , 1995 ) During her life , Dr . Gilbreth advised Presidents from Herbert Hoover to Lyndon Baines Johnson

Background and Education

Lillian , the oldest of nine children , was born as Lillian Evelyn Moller to William and Annie Moller . Due to her mother 's poor health Lillian 's education began when she was 9 . She was a good student who enjoyed literature and music and traveled across the U .S . during her school years . Despite his pride in her daughter , Lillian 's father , a prominent business who was influenced by the Victorian notions at the time regarding women , did not believe in higher education for women or that women should attend college (Maisel and Smart , 1997 ) Although she ultimately made her mark in psychology , both her bachelor 's and master 's degree were in literature and her goal upon entering college was to teach English . Lillian attended the University of California at Berkeley where she obtained a...