Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

2009 RUSA Outstanding Reference CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2009 A comprehensive, two-volume encyclopedia covering the major theories, research, people and issues in contemporary gender studies. The work will be distinguished by a cross-nationaloss-cultural perspective providing comparative analyses of life experiences of men and women around the world.

The study of gender differences began in earnest in the 1970s and has since increased dramatically to infiltrate virtually all fields of study in the social and behavioral sciences. Along the way, it was discovered that while women very often think and behave differently than do men, industrialized societies cater to masculine perspectives. The "Psychology of Women" emerged as a field of study focusing on just those areas in which women most often butted against assumed roles. And similarly, in the 1990s, the "Psychology of Men" emerged to focus on the same issues for men. The Encyclopedia of Gender covers all three areas under one cover, discussing psychological differences in personality, cognition, and behavior, as well as biologically based differences and how those differences impact behavior. Coverage includes studies of these differences in applied settings such as education, business, the home, in politics, sports competition, etc.

Women are working internationally to build a world based on gender equality and justice. Their concerns are shaped by conditions in their own countries and regions, and also by conditions for women in other parts of the world. Links forged by globalization, international relations, United Nations gender equality and development programs, and women's nongovernmental organizations connect their futures. This groundbreaking reference set documents the achievements and current challenges for all women, providing distortion-free and newly available information about women's status, in matters from education to violence, in more than 130 countries in the world's most populated areas. Written by an international host of contributing specialists, this set is accessible to high school students and above. Its consistent narrative coverage and relevant statistics are ideal for research and comparisons. Readers will find that conceptions of women's issues vary by country as the set illuminates diverse perspectives and contemporary practices that shape the variations in equality and well-being among women. Judicious inclusion of historical processes helps frame the issues in a holistic perspective. Volume maps, individual country maps, tables, photos, and indexes by set and volume are also included.

State-of-the-art research and ready-to-use facts augmented by unique multimedia pedagogy that will enliven the electronic version of this work. The 1,500 signed entries (with cross-references and recommended readings) will cover issues in contemporary women's studies.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History captures the experiences of women throughout world history in a comprehensive, 4-volume work. Although there has been extensive research on women in history by region, no text or reference work has comprehensively covered the role women have played throughout world history. The past thirty years have seen an explosion of research and effort to present the experiences and contributions of women not only in the Western world but across the globe. Historians have investigated women's daily lives in virtually every region and have researched the leadership roles women have filled across time and region. They have found and demonstrated that there is virtually no historical, social, or demographic change in which women have not been involved and by which their lives have not been affected.

For a full list of entries and contributors, sample entries, and more, visit the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women website. Featuring comprehensive global coverage of women's issues and concerns, from violence and sexuality to feminist theory, the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Womenbrings the field into the new millennium. In over 900 signed A-Z entries from US and Europe, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and the Middle East, the women who pioneered the field from its inception collaborate with the new scholars who are shaping the future of women's studies to create the new standard work for anyone who needs information on women-related subjects.

At no point in recorded history has there been an absence of intense, and heated, discussion about the subject of how to conduct relations between women and men. The SAGE Handbook of Feminist Theory provides a comprehensive guide to these omnipresent issues and debates, mapping the present and future of thinking about feminist theory. The chapters gathered in this handbook present the state of the art in scholarship in this field, covering: * epistemology and marginality * literary, visual and cultural representations * sexuality * the macro and microeconomics of gender * conflict and peace. The most important consensus in this volume is that a central organizing tenet of feminism is its willingness to examine the ways in which gender and relations between women and men have been (and are) organized. The authors bring to their subject matter a shared commitment to the critical appraisal of gender relations as well as a recognition that to think 'theoretically' is not to detach concerns from lived experience but to extend the possibilities of understanding. With this focus on theory and theorizing about the world in which we live, this handbook asks us, across all disciplines and situations, to abandon our taken-for-granted assumptions about the world and interrogate both the origin and the implications of our ideas about gender relations and feminism.

The American family has come a long way from the days of the idealized family portrayed in iconic television shows of the 1950s and 1960s. The four volumes of The Social History of the American Family explore the vital role of the family as the fundamental social unit across the span of American history. Experiences of family life shape so much of an individual's development and identity, yet the patterns of family structure, family life, and family transition vary across time, space, and socioeconomic contexts. Both the definition of who or what counts as family and representations of the "ideal" family have changed over time. Available in both digital and print formats, this carefully balanced academic work chronicles the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of American families from the colonial period to the present. Key themes include families and culture (including mass media), families and religion, families and the economy, families and social issues, families and social stratification and conflict, family structures (including marriage and divorce, gender roles, parenting and children, and mixed and non-modal family forms), and family law and policy. Features: Approximately 600 articles, richly illustrated with historical photographs and color photos in the digital edition, provide historical context for students. A collection of primary source documents demonstrate themes across time. The signed articles, with cross-references and Further Readings, are accompanied by a Reader's Guide, Chronology of American Families, Resource Guide, Glossary, and a thorough index. The Social History of the American Family is an ideal reference for students and researchers who want to explore political and social debates about the importance of the family and its evolving constructions. Key Themes: Families and Culture Families and Experts Families and Religion Families and Social Change Families and Social Issues/Problems/Crises Families and Social Media Families and Social Stratification/Social Class Families and Technology Families and the Economy Families in America Families in Mass Media Families, Family Life, Social Identities Family Advocates and Organizations Family Law and Family Policy Family Theories History of American Families

Have you ever been told that you're too girlish or too boyish? We are all potential targets of the gender police, some more so than others. And how did you respond? Did you hide or change or rebel or hurt or gleefully celebrate your style? Tomboys and Other Gender Heroes is a study that brings together gender stories from approximately 600 children and youth. Set in both urban and rural contexts, these young people show how their schools and communities respond to their bodies, passions, and imaginations. As one 13-year-old student expresses, «My flowered jeans make me feel happy because they represent the sort of feminine side to me and at the same time show my masculine side. They also make me feel like I'm a part of a large force that stands up to bullying and criticism, to express themselves and to show the world that our lives have meaning.» In this book, student writings are framed by teaching strategies and gender theory, featuring themes of sports, film, media, landscape, joyfulness, and gender creativity. The research will be of great interest to university students in the fields of education, gender, sexuality and women's studies, sociology, social work, psychology, counseling, and child development. This book is ideal for teachers, professors, parents, and community members who hope to create accepting environments for gender diversity.

In this unique encyclopedia, 120 leading scholars from around the world provide comprehensive treatment of the role of women in war, from the first written history to the present. * Nearly 500 A-Z entries on women as combatants, spies, auxiliaries, medics, supporters, opponents, and victims of war from antiquity to the present and on all continents * Contributions from 140 leading scholars from the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe * Sidebars containing original documents from autobiographies, archives, and newspapers present firsthand coverage of women at war * Text enlivened by more than 70 photographs of women combatants, medical personnel, peace activists, spies, and secret agents