Eleanor Maccoby was born in 1917 into a world in which biology was assumed to explain the differences between males and females and the effects of culture, parenting and gender roles on human development were poorly understood. She also had to overcome gender bias that made it difficult for women to be accepted into scientific circles and when women scientists were a rarity. Remarkably Dr. Maccoby earned the respect of her peers and rose to become influential in redirecting the course of research on children into a more scientific and nuanced direction that paved the way for current theories of child development and gender studies.  

Dr. Maccoby began her graduate work with BF Skinner at the University of Michigan. After graduation, she joined the faculty at Harvard University where she became interested in the effects of television on child rearing practices.  She moved from Harvard to Stanford University because she believed her gender prevented faculty advancement. During her time at Stanford, Dr. Maccoby rose to become the first female chairman of her department and was beloved for her scientific rigor and willingness to challenge existing accepted theory that had not been rigorously proven. She won five lifetime achievement awards and received the highest award given by the American Psychological Association, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award.  Dr. Maccoby was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, a rare achievement for women in the 1990’s, and was named one of the top 100 influential psychologists of the twentieth century.

Dr. Maccoby began her initial work on child development with Robert Sears, Miller, and Dollard, applying rigorous testing approaches to child rearing.  She also began looking at differential child rearing patterns for males versus females in the mid 1960’s. Dr. Maccoby began reviewing unpublished research, along with existing studies and began a longitudinal study examining sex differences. This project offered the conclusion that boys and girls were not that different, rather the differences could be explained by socialization and cultural expectation of males versus females. This created a stir that attracted the attention of the feminist movement. She also showed that the social skills girls developed at an early age in same sex groups put them at a disadvantage during adolescence and adulthood and that girls needed to learn to succeed in mixed sex groups. These social skills of turn taking and listening help women to succeed in one-on-one relationships in which they can become equal partners, but not in group settings that included men.  

Dr. Maccoby also completed ground-breaking research on the effects of divorce on children. She researched the effects of various legal and social policies upon children in divorcing families. Her research was influential in changing legal policy that awarded only the mother full custody into a system in which joint custody is now often the norm. She also influenced courts to adopt a system of helping families cope with divorce at a time in which the court system was focused upon preventing divorce. 

References:

• Eleanor Maccoby (1917-2018) Research in Child Development and Family Dynamics First Comprehensive Empirical Survey of Gender Differences https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/eleanor-maccoby 
• Eminent psychologists of the 20th century.  (July/August, 2002). Monitor on Psychology, 33(7), p.29