Nickie Charles – författare

Nickie Charles discusses theoretical developments in the sociological study of gender, providing an overview of how conceptual shifts have affected not only what is studied, which is itself changing, but also how it is studied and the questions that are asked. The empirical areas that provide the focus of the book are paid employment, domestic labour, parenting, education, the 'crisis' of masculinity, sexuality, and politics. Although the book is centrally concerned with gender, attention is paid to other bases of inequality and social identities such as class, ethnicity, and sexuality. Throughout, the author engages with contemporary debates about the significance of changes in gender relations, showing that while there has been very real change in some areas of social life, in others there has been remarkable continuity. Finally, gender relations in Britain are situated in international context and linked to global social and economic processes and divisions of labour.This important new study of gender in modern Britain provides a succinct and clearly written textbook for students on gender studies, women's studies, and sociology of gender courses.

This collection examines human-animal relations and the different ways in which they can be understood, exploring animal rights and animal welfare; whether and under what circumstances animals are regarded as social actors with agency; media representations of human-animal relations; and the relation between animals and national identity.

Gender divisions of labor which subordinate women are a seemingly universal feature of contemporary societies. But does this mean that women's subordination is inevitable? Does an explanation have to be rooted in another universal, namely biology? Is the evidence pointing to women's universal subordination convincing? Or is it the product of ethnocentric and male-dominated research and explanation? These are some of the questions addressed by Nickie Charles's comparative analysis of gender divisions of labor across different types of society. The types of societies analyzed range from egalitarian, hunter-gatherer to highly stratified industrial societies. The book also covers a wide range of differing explanations for gender divisions of labor, from socio-biological to marxist-feminist theories. Particular attention is paid to the way in which social change may transform gender divisions and the social position of women. Throughout, theoretical explanation is linked to relevant empirical data to illustrate the book's main themes. Contents: Introduction; The Rising Origins: Biology Versus Culture; Gender Divisions and Capitalism; Explaining Gender Divisions in Capitalist Societies; Gender Divisions in Socialist Societies; Explaining Gender Divisions in Socialist Societies; Gender Divisions in the Third World; Economic Development and Women's Subordination; Western Women's Liberation Movements and Gender Divisions; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

In Practising Feminism, contributors drawn from a range of backgrounds in anthropology, sociology and social psychology, explore different ways of practising feminism and their effect on gendered identities.The contributors examine feminism and gender identities in different cultures, feminism as a politics of transformation, the call for recognition of heterosexuality as a politicised identity, the practical role of feminism in nationalist struggles, power relations and gender differences, and the methodological implications of feminist practices. They all discuss identity, difference and power and their importance to feminist political practice. Practising Feminism is an important contribution to the neglected middle ground between post-modern deconstructions of difference and identity, and continued feminist concern with grounded power relations and the validity of experience.

In Practising Feminism, contributors drawn from a range of backgrounds in anthropology, sociology and social psychology, explore different ways of practising feminism and their effect on gendered identities.The contributors examine feminism and gender identities in different cultures, feminism as a politics of transformation, the call for recognition of heterosexuality as a politicised identity, the practical role of feminism in nationalist struggles, power relations and gender differences, and the methodological implications of feminist practices. They all discuss identity, difference and power and their importance to feminist political practice. Practising Feminism is an important contribution to the neglected middle ground between post-modern deconstructions of difference and identity, and continued feminist concern with grounded power relations and the validity of experience.

First Published in 2004. This volume is a collection of the papers from an annual conference in February 1993 of the women’s sections of the British Sociological Association and the Political Studies Association at the London School of Economics. Its focus was ‘Gender, Sexuality and Identity: Commonalities and Difference’. With the exception of Valerie Bryson’s chapter and the introductory chapter, all the chapters in this volume originated as papers presented to that conference. There have been a number of political issues that have characterised the post-Cold War era such as nationalism, religious fundamentalism, inter-ethnic conflict and the process of democratization.In this ground breaking study the authors develop a feminist perspective on these issues and reveal the way that political ideologies use women as symbols of cultural identity. Included are chapters on inter-ethnic conflict in Yugoslavia, the emergence of a "male democracy" in Chile, women's rights in Israel, the far right and women in France and the experience of immigrants in Britain.Gender, Ethnicity and Political Ideologies is a revealing study of women's involvement with restrictive political ideologies and demonstrates the importance of a feminist politics that enables women to understand and work with each other across the boundaries that divide them.

First Published in 2004. This volume is a collection of the papers from an annual conference in February 1993 of the women’s sections of the British Sociological Association and the Political Studies Association at the London School of Economics. Its focus was ‘Gender, Sexuality and Identity: Commonalities and Difference’. With the exception of Valerie Bryson’s chapter and the introductory chapter, all the chapters in this volume originated as papers presented to that conference. There have been a number of political issues that have characterised the post-Cold War era such as nationalism, religious fundamentalism, inter-ethnic conflict and the process of democratization.In this ground breaking study the authors develop a feminist perspective on these issues and reveal the way that political ideologies use women as symbols of cultural identity. Included are chapters on inter-ethnic conflict in Yugoslavia, the emergence of a "male democracy" in Chile, women's rights in Israel, the far right and women in France and the experience of immigrants in Britain.Gender, Ethnicity and Political Ideologies is a revealing study of women's involvement with restrictive political ideologies and demonstrates the importance of a feminist politics that enables women to understand and work with each other across the boundaries that divide them.

This book assesses how policies developed by the National Assembly for Wales are affecting gender inequalities and investigates whether they are having an impact on social justice for women in Wales. In 1999 the first elections to devolved governments took place in Scotland and Wales. In Wales this resulted in 40 per cent of Assembly Members being women. In 2003 this proportion increased to 50 per cent which makes the National Assembly for Wales 'the first legislative body with equal numbers of men and women in the world' ("The Guardian", 3/5/03). This new gender balance of political representatives is a significant change in the gendering of political institutions and this, together with the creation of a new tier of government, has the potential to create new opportunities for the development of social policies which address gender and other social inequalities. Focusing on distinct policy domains, this book explores gender politics in a devolved Wales. Each chapter investigates a particular aspect of social policy, exploring the way it has developed since devolution and the extent to which considerations of gender and social justice for women are central to this development. The empirical chapters which form the core of the book are situated theoretically and politically by the first chapter which discusses how gender and social justice can be theorised and explores devolution and its relation to gender politics in Wales.

This collection examines human-animal relations and the different ways in which they can be understood, exploring animal rights and animal welfare; whether and under what circumstances animals are regarded as social actors with agency; media representations of human-animal relations; and the relation between animals and national identity.

This book addresses the complexity of family change. It draws on evidence from two linked studies, one carried out in the 1960s and the other in the early years of the 21st century, to analyse the specific ways in which family lives have changed and how they have been affected by the major structural and cultural changes of the second half of the twentieth century. The book shows that, while there has undeniably been change, there is a surprising degree of continuity in family practices. It casts doubt on claims that families have been subject to a process of dramatic change and provides an alternative account which is based on careful analysis of empirical data. The book presents a unique opportunity to chart the nature of social change in a particular locality over the last 50 years; includes discussions of social and cultural variations in family life, focusing on younger as well as older generations; explores not only what happens within family-households but also what happens within networks of kin across different households and shows the way changing patterns of employment affect kinship networks and how geographical mobility co-exists with the maintenance of strong kinship ties. The findings will be of interest to students of sociology, social anthropology, social policy, women's studies, gender studies and human geography at undergraduate and postgraduate level.