The Gendered Society

Sixth Edition

Michael Kimmel

The sixth edition of The Gendered Society explores current thinking about gender, both inside academia and in our everyday lives. Michael Kimmel challenges the claim that gender is limited to women's experiences--his compelling and balanced study of gender includes both masculine and feminine perspectives.

Kimmel makes three bold and persuasive statements about gender. First, he demonstrates that gender differences are often extremely exaggerated; in fact, he argues that men and women have much more in common than we think they do. Kimmel also challenges the pop psychologists who suggest that gender difference is the cause of inequality between the sexes; instead, he reveals that the reverse is true-gender inequality itself is the cause of the differences between men and women. Finally, he illustrates that gender is not merely an element of individual identity, but a socially constructed institutional phenomenon.

New to this Edition:

A box feature, "Read All About It!," that ties content from the text to its companion reader, The Gendered Society Reader, Sixth Edition
More "Oh Really?" and "Compared to What?" boxes
A new section on gendered communication
More coverage of transgender individuals and issues

The Gendered Society

Sixth Edition

Michael Kimmel

Description

The sixth edition of The Gendered Society explores current thinking about gender, both inside academia and in our everyday lives. Michael Kimmel challenges the claim that gender is limited to women's experiences--his compelling and balanced study of gender includes both masculine and feminine perspectives.

Kimmel makes three bold and persuasive statements about gender. First, he demonstrates that gender differences are often extremely exaggerated; in fact, he argues that men and women have much more in common than we think they do. Kimmel also challenges the pop psychologists who suggest that gender difference is the cause of inequality between the sexes; instead, he reveals that the reverse is true-gender inequality itself is the cause of the differences between men and women. Finally, he illustrates that gender is not merely an element of individual identity, but a socially constructed institutional phenomenon.

Previous publication dates

December 2012, December 2009, September 2007

The Gendered Society

Sixth Edition

Michael Kimmel

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction: Human Beings: An Engendered Species

PART 1: Explanations of Gender

Chapter 2: Ordained by Nature: Biology Constructs the Sexes
Chapter 3: Spanning the World: Culture Constructs Gender Difference
Chapter 4: "So, That Explains It": Psychoanalytic and Development Perspectives on Gender
Chapter 5: The Social Construction of Gender Relations

PART 2: Gendered Identities, Gendered Institutions

Chapter 6: The Gendered Family
Chapter 7: The Gendered Classroom
Chapter 8: Gender and Religion
Chapter 9: Separate and Unequal: The Gendered World of Work
Chapter 10: The Gender of Politics and the Politics of Gender
Chapter 11: The Gendered Media

PART 3: Gendered Interactions

Chapter 12: Gendered Intimacies: Friendship and Love
Chapter 13: The Gendered Body
Chapter 14: The Gender of Violence

Epilogue: "A Degendered Society?"

Notes
Sources for Chapter Opening Art
Index

The Gendered Society

Sixth Edition

Michael Kimmel

Author Information

Michael Kimmel is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Stony Brook University, The State University of New York. A leading researcher and writer on gender and men and masculinity, he is the author or editor of numerous books and articles including The Gendered Society Reader, Sixth Edition (with Amy Aronson, OUP, 2016), Sexualities: Identities, Behaviors, and Society, Second Edition (with The Stony Brook Sexualities Research Group, OUP, 2014), and Manhood in America: A Cultural History, Third Edition (OUP, 2011).

The Gendered Society

Sixth Edition

Michael Kimmel

Reviews and Awards

"The Gendered Society reflects the latest research and teaching philosophies. The book is well written, comprehensive, and makes a very good package with the reader."--Kathryn Keller, Montclair State University

"I have always used The Gendered Society for my Sociology of Gender course and I have no intention of changing texts. Kimmel does an excellent job of presenting the many facets of gender in the U.S."--Kathleen O'Reilly, Three Rivers Community College

"I like Kimmel's approach-rather than 'differences exist, therefore inequality,' Kimmel emphasizes the converse-that 'inequalities exist, therefore difference.' This subtle difference highlights the power aspect in a way that other texts do not do. Kimmel is excellent in his introduction of key concepts and terms. He does a great job, stylistically, of presenting material in a manner that is engaging and approachable."--Gregory Maddox, Southern Illinois University Carbondale