The Sociology of Gender

"This is an excellent book for a comprehensive review of the development and latest scholarship on sociology of gender. It's concise, clear, well-referenced and can easily become one of the best textbooks and basic research tools for any gender studies student." ?WONG Wai Ching Angela, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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, 2nd ed.) and co-author of The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities (2009).

1 Introduction to the Sociology of Gender 1 Chapter Objectives 1 Introduction 2 Sociological Vantage Points 3 A Brief History of the Sociological Study of Gender 5 Defining Gender 8 Three Frameworks for Understanding Gender 16 Gender Matters 18 Who is to Blame? Understanding Gender Inequality 19 Chapter Summary 20 Further Reading 21 Key Terms 21 Critical Thinking Questions 21 Part I: Conceptual Approaches 23 2 The Gendered Person 25 Chapter Objectives 25 Sex Differences in Traits, Abilities, or Behavioral Dispositions 27 The Origins of Sex Differences 31 Environmental Explanations of Sex Differences: Becoming Gendered 36 Sex Differences and Social Policy: The Case of Mathematics Aptitude 50 Sex Differences and Gender Inequality 54 Chapter Summary 56 Further Reading 57 Key Terms 57 Critical Thinking Questions 58 3 Gender in Interaction and Institutions 59 Chapter Objectives 59 Interactionist Views of Gender 60 Gendered Organizations/Gendered Institutions 86 Toward a Multilayered Conception of Gender 92 Chapter Summary 92 Further Reading 93 Key Terms 93 Critical Thinking Questions 94 Part II: Gender in Context 95 4 Work and Family as Gendered Institutions 97 Chapter Objectives 97 The Division of Labor 98 Work, Family, and Gender in the Industrial Age 100 A Half-Century of Gender Change: Work, Education, and Gender Egalitarian Beliefs 105 Changes in Gender, Family, and Caregiving 112 Gender, Work, and Family: The Roles of Social Policy and the State 122 Gender, Work, and Family in the Twenty-First Century: Looking Ahead 126 Chapter Summary 130 Further Reading 132 Key Terms 132 Critical Thinking Questions 132 5 Gender, Childhood, and Family Life 135 Chapter Objectives 135 Parents Preferences for Childrens Sex 136 Is it a Boy or a Girl?: Gender Construction in Families 137 Childhood and the Importance of Same-Gender Peers 154 Gender Socialization in Childhood Reconsidered 158 The Household Division of Labor and the Family 159 Explaining Womens and Mens Involvement in Household Work and Childcare 165 Lesbian and Gay Families Rewriting Family Life 174 Marriage, Families, and Their Consequences for Women and Men 175 Chapter Summary 185 Further Reading 187 Key Terms 187 Critical Thinking Questions 188 6 Gendered Jobs and Gendered Workers 189 Chapter Objectives 189 Sex Segregation and the Division of Labor in Paid Work 190 Explaining Sex Segregation 198 Gender Typing of Jobs, Hierarchies, and Workplace Expectations 203 The Gender Pay Gap 213 Explaining the Gender Pay Gap 217 Chapter Summary 220 Further Reading 221 Key Terms 222 Critical Thinking Questions 222 Part III: Epilogue 223 7 Deconstructing Gender Differences and Inequalities 225 Chapter Objectives 225 Gender Distinctions and Gender Inequalities 227 The Reproduction of Gender Inequality 229 Challenging Gender Inequality 236 Making Gender Matter Less 240 Chapter Summary 241 Further Reading 242 Key Terms 242 Critical Thinking Questions 243 References 245 Index 265