Gender

Gender issues continue to be a prominent concern of academics andpolicy-makers, and increasingly arise in various forms to bedebated in the public sphere and popular media. But what exactly dowe mean by gender? How can we best understand gender differences?How are current gender relations changing? What new paths are'femininity' and 'masculinity' taking? Whatwould it be like to live in a society in which differences ofgender were transcended?In this new edition of her popular and highly lauded book, HarrietBradley provides an introduction to the concept of gender and thedifferent theoretical approaches which have developed within genderstudies. Utilizing life narratives, she investigates processes ofgendering in three important spheres of contemporary social life:production, reproduction and consumption. The book highlights thecentrality of gender in everyday life and shows how thinking aboutgender is influenced by changing political contexts. As well asupdating the discussion with the latest scholarship, politicalconcerns and economic data, the new edition pays closer attentionto intersectionality and hybrid identities, as well as exploringthe complexities of contemporary relations of masculinity andfemininity in the light of new feminist activities.This lively and accessible book will be of interest to studentsacross the social sciences, as well as anyone interested incontemporary relations between women and men.

Preface to Second Edition viiIntroduction: The Concept of Gender 1IN AND OUT OF THE FRAME: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF GENDER 91. What's in a Name? Meanings and Usages of Gender 15GENDERING AND CLASS: GROWING UP GIRL, GROWING UP BOY 292. Gender and Modernity 37'WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?' BEING A MAN IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY543. Gender and Postmodernity 64'SISTERS UNDER THEIR SKINS'? IDENTITIES IN A GLOBAL AGE 874. Gendered Worlds: Production 98HAVING IT ALL: FAMILY AND EMPLOYMENT IN WOMEN'S LIVES 1185. Gendered Worlds: Reproduction 129MEN, MARRIAGE AND EMOTIONS: ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN THE SEXES1506. Gendered Worlds: Consumption 159IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY: GENDERED UTOPIAS 183Conclusion: What the Future Holds - Gender, Theory andPolitics 195Questions for Discussion 221Glossary 223References 227Index 242