ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the lasting effects of Judaeo-Christian scripture on gender-role stereotypes and binary thinking. It explores various stories, such as fairy tales, science fiction and re-readings of cultural history, all of which can impact on the gender schemata. In The Chalice and the Blade, historian and systems scientist Riane Eisler reviews a broad range of evidence throughout history, much of it focused on the Minoan civilization on Crete. The chapter provides an early example of meaning-making that influences the social and political world. It considers ways forward for a new psychology of gender. A polytheistic gender-schema system allows a more relaxed approach to gender ambiguity and anomaly. Many fairy tales contained coded messages about sex and gender. The contests in gender politics parallel changes in psychology as a discipline, particularly with the challenges of feminism. Feminist psychology offers a fundamental challenge, giving centre stage to ‘new ways of knowing’ and meaning-making.