Sociology of Gender: An Introduction to Theory and Research

Table of contents
1 Introduction to the Sociology of Gender
Chapter Objectives
Introduction
Sociological Vantage Points
A Brief History of the Sociological Study of Gender
Defining Gender
Three Frameworks for Understanding Gender
Gender Matters
Who is to Blame? Understanding Gender Inequality
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
PART I: CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES
2 The Gendered Person
Chapter Objectives
Sex Differences in Traits, Abilities, or Behavioral Dispositions
The Origins of Sex Differences
Environmental Explanations of Sex Differences: Becoming Gendered
Sex Differences and Social Policy: The Case of Mathematics Aptitude
Sex Differences and Gender Inequality
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
3 Gender in Interaction and Institutions
Chapter Objectives
Interactionist Views of Gender
Gendered Organizations/Gendered Institutions
Toward a Multilayered Conception of Gender
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
PART II: GENDER IN CONTEXT
4 Work and Family as Gendered Institutions
Chapter Objectives
The Division of Labor
Work, Family and Gender in the Industrial Age
A Half-Century of Gender Change: Work, Education and Gender Egalitarian Beliefs
Changes in Gender, Family and Caregiving
Gender, Work and Family: The Roles of Social Policy and the State
Gender, Work and Family in the Twenty-First Century: Looking Ahead
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
5 Gender, Childhood and Family Life
Chapter Objectives
Parents' Preferences for Children's Sex
"Is it a Boy or a Girl?": Gender Construction in Families
Childhood and the Importance of Same-Gender Peers
Gender Socialization in Childhood Reconsidered
The Household Division of Labor and the Family
Explaining Women's and Men's Involvement in Household Work and Childcare
Lesbian and Gay Families Rewriting Family Life
Marriage, Families and Their Consequences for Women and Men
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
6 Gendered Jobs and Gendered Workers
Chapter Objectives
Sex Segregation and the Division of Labor in Paid Work
Explaining Sex Segregation
Gender Typing of Jobs, Hierarchies and Workplace Expectations
The Gender Pay Gap
Explaining the Gender Pay Gap
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
PART III: EPILOGUE
7 Deconstructing Gender Differences and Inequalities
Chapter Objectives
Gender Distinctions and Gender Inequalities
The Reproduction of Gender Inequality
Challenging Gender Inequality
Making Gender Matter Less
Chapter Summary
Further Reading
Key Terms
Critical Thinking Questions
References
Index