The Sociology of Gender - An Introduction toTheory and Research 2e - 2nd Edition by Amy S Wharton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Featuring extensive revisions and updates, the Second Edition of The Sociology of Gender: An Introduction to Theory and Research presents an introductory overview of gender theory and research, and continues to offer a unique and compelling approach to one of the most important topics in the field of sociology.

• Features extensive revisions and updates, and incorporates recent cross-national research on gender
• Expands and develops frameworks introduced in first edition
• Treats gender as a multilevel system operating at the individual, interactional, and institutional levels
• Stresses conceptual and theoretical issues in the sociology of gender
  Offers an accessible yet intellectually sophisticated approach to current gender theory and research
• Includes pedagogical features designed to encourage critical thinking and debate

From the Back Cover

Featuring extensive revisions and updates, the new Second Edition of The Sociology of Gender presents an introductory overview of gender theory and research, and continues to offer a unique and compelling approach to one of the most important topics in the field of sociology. Drawing from recent and ongoing research in the field, gender scholar Amy Wharton develops and expands upon theoretical approaches to gender from her acclaimed first edition. These approaches emphasize how gender can be viewed through different "lenses," and how each one generates a particular way of thinking about gender and its role in social life.

Wharton shows how individualist approaches view gender as part of the person; interactional approaches focus on the ways that gender emerges through social interaction; and institutional views emphasize how gender is built into organizations, social structures, and institutional arrangements. The book deftly summarizes and examines these three frameworks to facilitate an understanding of gender's contested meanings and vast areas of research. Also addressed is the importance of analyzing gender in relation to other kinds of distinctions, such as those based on race, social class, or sexual orientation. The newest research findings by key scholars are also discussed, and the inclusion of cross-national studies allow for comparative analysis of different areas of study. The Sociology of Gender: An Introduction to Theory and Research, Second Edition, offers the most up-to-date and accessible overview of this prominent subfield of sociological enquiry available today.

About the Author

Amy S. Wharton is Professor of Sociology and Director of the College of Liberal Arts at Washington State University, Vancouver. Dr Wharton's research on gender inequality, the sociology of work, and work-family policies has been published in the American Sociological Review, Social Forces, and Work & Occupations, as well as many other peer-reviewed journals and edited books. She is the editor of Working in America: Continuity, Conflict, and Change (2002, 2^nd ed.) and co-author of The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities (2009).