Routledge Library Editions: Women in Society – Serie

Originally published in 1984, when new reproductive technologies were just beginning to become part of the public discussion, this edition was published with a new preface in 1989. The Editors wanted to look carefully at how much real choice reproductive technologies offered to women. Genetic engineering, sperm banks, test tube fertilization, sex selection, surrogate mothering, experimentation in the so called ‘third world’, increased technological intervention in childbirth – were we taking pregnancy and the birth process out of the dark ages or into a terrifying ‘brave new world’?They ask who controls it? Who benefits? The technological machine grinds on, in headline-grabbing leaps or in quiet developments in research laboratories: but what are the implications for women worldwide? Still a huge industry today, this reissue can be read in its historical context.

Originally published in 1984, when new reproductive technologies were just beginning to become part of the public discussion, this edition was published with a new preface in 1989. The Editors wanted to look carefully at how much real choice reproductive technologies offered to women. Genetic engineering, sperm banks, test tube fertilization, sex selection, surrogate mothering, experimentation in the so called ‘third world’, increased technological intervention in childbirth – were we taking pregnancy and the birth process out of the dark ages or into a terrifying ‘brave new world’?They ask who controls it? Who benefits? The technological machine grinds on, in headline-grabbing leaps or in quiet developments in research laboratories: but what are the implications for women worldwide? Still a huge industry today, this reissue can be read in its historical context.

Women’s Studies investigates the world from women-centred perspectives which cross the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. Thus every issue, every question is material for Women’s Studies. The worldwide development of Women’s Studies during the 1970s and 1980s presented a radical challenge to the male-centred bias which dominated knowledge-making at the time.Originally published in 1983, in this book feminist scholars discuss the assumptions and aims of Women’s Studies, its connections with the women’s movement, its research, its teaching and its emerging methodologies.The contributors come from a range of disciplines: the humanities, the social and natural sciences, and from international backgrounds, primarily the USA, and Britain, Germany and Switzerland. They are united in working to develop a trans-disciplinary approach to the generation and distribution of knowledge and it is these new questions and their implications that demonstrate the exciting potential of a feminist education in women’s international quest for social change.

Women’s Studies investigates the world from women-centred perspectives which cross the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. Thus every issue, every question is material for Women’s Studies. The worldwide development of Women’s Studies during the 1970s and 1980s presented a radical challenge to the male-centred bias which dominated knowledge-making at the time.Originally published in 1983, in this book feminist scholars discuss the assumptions and aims of Women’s Studies, its connections with the women’s movement, its research, its teaching and its emerging methodologies.The contributors come from a range of disciplines: the humanities, the social and natural sciences, and from international backgrounds, primarily the USA, and Britain, Germany and Switzerland. They are united in working to develop a trans-disciplinary approach to the generation and distribution of knowledge and it is these new questions and their implications that demonstrate the exciting potential of a feminist education in women’s international quest for social change.

In the early 1980s the new reproductive technologies available supposedly offered infertile women a chance to have children. However, there was growing concern that the determination of scientists to dominate nature, their disregard for women’s well-being, and the financial gains to be made from these technologies would together result in the increased modification of all women’s lives and the loss of even more control over our own bodies.Originally published in 1985, the essays in Man-Made Women describe the technologies being used and researched in the areas of in vitro fertilization (’test-tube babies’), sex-predetermination and embryo transfer at the time. They discuss the practical application of the technologies on an international scale and draw attention to the racist and classist assumptions on which they are based. There is also information about the international action that feminists had begun to counter these so-called benevolent and therapeutic technologies.Man-Made Women hoped to encourage women to start questioning the ‘miracle’ of these new reproductive technologies and to become involved in crucial decisions about their bodies and their lives.

In the early 1980s the new reproductive technologies available supposedly offered infertile women a chance to have children. However, there was growing concern that the determination of scientists to dominate nature, their disregard for women’s well-being, and the financial gains to be made from these technologies would together result in the increased modification of all women’s lives and the loss of even more control over our own bodies.Originally published in 1985, the essays in Man-Made Women describe the technologies being used and researched in the areas of in vitro fertilization (’test-tube babies’), sex-predetermination and embryo transfer at the time. They discuss the practical application of the technologies on an international scale and draw attention to the racist and classist assumptions on which they are based. There is also information about the international action that feminists had begun to counter these so-called benevolent and therapeutic technologies.Man-Made Women hoped to encourage women to start questioning the ‘miracle’ of these new reproductive technologies and to become involved in crucial decisions about their bodies and their lives.

Symbolic interaction explains the world of social behavior and the development of the “self” as a function of social learning. As such, it plays an instrumental role in describing the processes that create women’s everyday lives and also, their gender-specific behaviors. Originally published in 1987, the readings collected for this volume were designed to link the sociological study of women to the well-developed and well-known tradition of symbolic interactionists’ research and theory.The volume brings together an outstanding collection of readings on women from a symbolic interactionist perspective. The majority of these carefully selected and classroom-tested readings were published in the 1980s. One early study is included to provide a historical perspective on contemporary works. Topics addressed include childhood socialization, marriage and the home, the marketplace and social class, and adult socialization.Students and professors alike will welcome this collection designed specifically for use in a wide range of sociology and women’s studies courses.This book is a re-issue originally published in 1987. The language used and views portrayed are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.

Symbolic interaction explains the world of social behavior and the development of the “self” as a function of social learning. As such, it plays an instrumental role in describing the processes that create women’s everyday lives and also, their gender-specific behaviors. Originally published in 1987, the readings collected for this volume were designed to link the sociological study of women to the well-developed and well-known tradition of symbolic interactionists’ research and theory.The volume brings together an outstanding collection of readings on women from a symbolic interactionist perspective. The majority of these carefully selected and classroom-tested readings were published in the 1980s. One early study is included to provide a historical perspective on contemporary works. Topics addressed include childhood socialization, marriage and the home, the marketplace and social class, and adult socialization.Students and professors alike will welcome this collection designed specifically for use in a wide range of sociology and women’s studies courses.This book is a re-issue originally published in 1987. The language used and views portrayed are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.

The long and bitter struggle for the vote is certainly the most spectacular part of the history of women’s emancipation. Originally published in 1966 Rapiers and Battleaxes tells the story in its wider aspect and in terms of the pioneers in the various fields.Just a hundred years previously – in 1866 – the first women’s suffrage committee was formed in London with the object of collecting signatures to petition for the enfranchisement of women which John Stuart Mill, MP for Westminster, had undertaken to present in Parliament. Prominent among the committee members were Barbara Bodichon, who had been active ten years earlier in the agitation for the Married Women’s Property Bill; Emily Davies, pioneer of higher education for women; and Elizabeth Garrett, who was the first woman to obtain a medical training in this country. Among the pioneers also are Mary Wollstonecraft, whose book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman sparked off the women’s movement; the philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts; the social reformers Mary Carpenter, Louisa Twining and Octavia Hill; Emma Paterson and her work for women’s trade unions; Sophia Jex-Blake, who forced an entry for women into the medical profession; and Josephine Butler and her courageous campaign for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts. In the political field, of course, are Emmeline Pankhurst and her followers; and also Millicent Fawcett, Elizabeth Garrett’s younger sister, the statesmanlike leader of the constitutional suffragists, and Eleanor Rathbone, MP, her successor in the campaign for equal rights.The story is brought up to date with the work of other women in Parliament and the appointment in 1965 of the first woman High Court Judge. And it points to the outstanding problem at the time, which was not so much lack of equal pay – although this still existed, particularly in trade and industry – but of equal opportunity. Subjects still being fought today, this reissue can be read in its historical context.

The long and bitter struggle for the vote is certainly the most spectacular part of the history of women’s emancipation. Originally published in 1966 Rapiers and Battleaxes tells the story in its wider aspect and in terms of the pioneers in the various fields.Just a hundred years previously – in 1866 – the first women’s suffrage committee was formed in London with the object of collecting signatures to petition for the enfranchisement of women which John Stuart Mill, MP for Westminster, had undertaken to present in Parliament. Prominent among the committee members were Barbara Bodichon, who had been active ten years earlier in the agitation for the Married Women’s Property Bill; Emily Davies, pioneer of higher education for women; and Elizabeth Garrett, who was the first woman to obtain a medical training in this country. Among the pioneers also are Mary Wollstonecraft, whose book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman sparked off the women’s movement; the philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts; the social reformers Mary Carpenter, Louisa Twining and Octavia Hill; Emma Paterson and her work for women’s trade unions; Sophia Jex-Blake, who forced an entry for women into the medical profession; and Josephine Butler and her courageous campaign for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts. In the political field, of course, are Emmeline Pankhurst and her followers; and also Millicent Fawcett, Elizabeth Garrett’s younger sister, the statesmanlike leader of the constitutional suffragists, and Eleanor Rathbone, MP, her successor in the campaign for equal rights.The story is brought up to date with the work of other women in Parliament and the appointment in 1965 of the first woman High Court Judge. And it points to the outstanding problem at the time, which was not so much lack of equal pay – although this still existed, particularly in trade and industry – but of equal opportunity. Subjects still being fought today, this reissue can be read in its historical context.

What are the patterns dominating women’s lives today? What are the issues which confront women in their relationships, their work, and their families? From adolescence and adult partnerships, through motherhood, to growing old Women’s Lives, originally published in 1990, explores themes which are central to women’s experience, focusing on areas such as growing up, women on their own, sexuality, bringing up children, and family relationships.Sue Llewelyn and Kate Osborne argue that a multi-faceted approach is needed to understand a woman’s life, taking in not only her personal psychology but also the social context in which she lives. The authors are both clinical psychologists with an interest in psychotherapy, and they draw on their own direct experience of working with women in distress, as well as on feminist writing, novels, and autobiographies to illustrate their arguments. Each chapter presents a detailed case history, highlighting an important aspect of women’s lives, and demonstrates the increased understanding to be gained from a combined approach using social psychology, feminist ideas, and psychodynamic insights.Designed for a wide readership, including psychologists, doctors, social workers, counsellors, and nurses, Women’s Lives will also be of great value to people on women’s studies courses and to those seeking a greater understanding of themselves or others.

What are the patterns dominating women’s lives today? What are the issues which confront women in their relationships, their work, and their families? From adolescence and adult partnerships, through motherhood, to growing old Women’s Lives, originally published in 1990, explores themes which are central to women’s experience, focusing on areas such as growing up, women on their own, sexuality, bringing up children, and family relationships.Sue Llewelyn and Kate Osborne argue that a multi-faceted approach is needed to understand a woman’s life, taking in not only her personal psychology but also the social context in which she lives. The authors are both clinical psychologists with an interest in psychotherapy, and they draw on their own direct experience of working with women in distress, as well as on feminist writing, novels, and autobiographies to illustrate their arguments. Each chapter presents a detailed case history, highlighting an important aspect of women’s lives, and demonstrates the increased understanding to be gained from a combined approach using social psychology, feminist ideas, and psychodynamic insights.Designed for a wide readership, including psychologists, doctors, social workers, counsellors, and nurses, Women’s Lives will also be of great value to people on women’s studies courses and to those seeking a greater understanding of themselves or others.

Originally published in 1985, Women Attached was one of the first empirical studies in geography to deal with the special problems of women with young children. Even within sociology and psychology there were very few studies in this area at the time. Within geography the study of this population sub-group was certainly a new departure. However, it was impossible to make meaningful sense of the structure of daily lives and activities of women without taking in to account the nature and impact of constraints on such activities. Young children being the most clearly visible constraint in women’s lives. Therefore, one aim of the research project was to relate empirical findings to the existing social science literature dealing with constraints on activities. This book was an attempt to redress the balance slightly in favour of women’s activities and specifically focuses on a group of women who had only rarely been the subject of research interest at the time. Today it can read in its historical context.

Originally published in 1985, Women Attached was one of the first empirical studies in geography to deal with the special problems of women with young children. Even within sociology and psychology there were very few studies in this area at the time. Within geography the study of this population sub-group was certainly a new departure. However, it was impossible to make meaningful sense of the structure of daily lives and activities of women without taking in to account the nature and impact of constraints on such activities. Young children being the most clearly visible constraint in women’s lives. Therefore, one aim of the research project was to relate empirical findings to the existing social science literature dealing with constraints on activities. This book was an attempt to redress the balance slightly in favour of women’s activities and specifically focuses on a group of women who had only rarely been the subject of research interest at the time. Today it can read in its historical context.

Originally published in 1985, Women, Social Science and Public Policy looks at what difference the debate over the position of women had made to the way social scientists worked and thought, or to law and social policies at the time. Debate had been widespread during the 1960s and 1970s and this book takes stock. It avoids the standard statistics on the position of women and concentrates instead on the challenges contained in this long debate to the way research topics and method are selected – challenges in effect to the assumption of ‘business as usual’ with the addition of a few details on women.Sponsored by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, this book is deliberately multi-disciplinary. Chapters are written by leading scholars in anthropology, economics, history, law, politics, psychology, sociology and government. These authors share both a theoretical and practical knowledge of ideas and policies. They share also a concern with analysing basic assumptions and to set Australian research and debate in an international context.This thoughtful book will be of interest to all who wish to understand the theoretical and the policy issues underpinning much of the feminist debate, and the way in which it affects their own thinking about issues of social science, social policy and social structure.

Originally published in 1985, Women, Social Science and Public Policy looks at what difference the debate over the position of women had made to the way social scientists worked and thought, or to law and social policies at the time. Debate had been widespread during the 1960s and 1970s and this book takes stock. It avoids the standard statistics on the position of women and concentrates instead on the challenges contained in this long debate to the way research topics and method are selected – challenges in effect to the assumption of ‘business as usual’ with the addition of a few details on women.Sponsored by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, this book is deliberately multi-disciplinary. Chapters are written by leading scholars in anthropology, economics, history, law, politics, psychology, sociology and government. These authors share both a theoretical and practical knowledge of ideas and policies. They share also a concern with analysing basic assumptions and to set Australian research and debate in an international context.This thoughtful book will be of interest to all who wish to understand the theoretical and the policy issues underpinning much of the feminist debate, and the way in which it affects their own thinking about issues of social science, social policy and social structure.

Originally published in 1977, this lively collection of papers by women involved in community work and community action explores some of the links between the women’s movements and community action at the time, in terms both of the recent developments in women’s thinking and of their practical experience of involvement in community organizations and groups.The book opens with a theoretical chapter on women’s rights, discussing reasons for the particular involvement of women in a range of community issues such as the housing struggle and the role of women in campaigns for nursery and other pre-school provision, and relates these factors to the women’s movement in general. The contributors go on to consider the organization of women who enable other women to go to work, including a case study of experience of Battered Wives’ Centres, a study of Women’s Aid Centres, a discussion of the Working Women’s Charter and the National Abortion Campaign, chapters by members of groups of single-parent families – Mothers in Action and Gingerbread – and a chapter on working with women in community groups, from the perspective of the community worker.Many issues are still relevant now, today it can be read in its historical context.

Originally published in 1977, this lively collection of papers by women involved in community work and community action explores some of the links between the women’s movements and community action at the time, in terms both of the recent developments in women’s thinking and of their practical experience of involvement in community organizations and groups.The book opens with a theoretical chapter on women’s rights, discussing reasons for the particular involvement of women in a range of community issues such as the housing struggle and the role of women in campaigns for nursery and other pre-school provision, and relates these factors to the women’s movement in general. The contributors go on to consider the organization of women who enable other women to go to work, including a case study of experience of Battered Wives’ Centres, a study of Women’s Aid Centres, a discussion of the Working Women’s Charter and the National Abortion Campaign, chapters by members of groups of single-parent families – Mothers in Action and Gingerbread – and a chapter on working with women in community groups, from the perspective of the community worker.Many issues are still relevant now, today it can be read in its historical context.

Originally published in 1990, Gendered Jobs and Social Change is a systematic exploration of the changing structure of women’s paid work in Britain since the Second World War and an invaluable and accessible text for undergraduate students, and teachers and researchers, in the areas of employment, gender, and class theory.Four substantial case-study chapters, drawing upon original research material, give in-depth accounts of developments across the whole range of women’s employment, from the ‘post-feminist’ finance professional to unskilled workers in the hotel and catering industry. This empirical work is set within a context of discussion relating to current theoretical debates of the time concerning gender, occupational segregation, and class and stratification theory and research; it is then complemented by a review of the structure of women’s employment in other western countries. Besides making an original contribution to research and theory, it also provides an invaluable summary and critique of developments at the time within a series of important sociological debates.

Originally published in 1990, Gendered Jobs and Social Change is a systematic exploration of the changing structure of women’s paid work in Britain since the Second World War and an invaluable and accessible text for undergraduate students, and teachers and researchers, in the areas of employment, gender, and class theory.Four substantial case-study chapters, drawing upon original research material, give in-depth accounts of developments across the whole range of women’s employment, from the ‘post-feminist’ finance professional to unskilled workers in the hotel and catering industry. This empirical work is set within a context of discussion relating to current theoretical debates of the time concerning gender, occupational segregation, and class and stratification theory and research; it is then complemented by a review of the structure of women’s employment in other western countries. Besides making an original contribution to research and theory, it also provides an invaluable summary and critique of developments at the time within a series of important sociological debates.

Originally published in 1989, Infertility looks at how fertility treatments fail women. At the time there was disturbing evidence of medical malpractice and invasive technologies which violated women’s bodies and took a heavy toll on their lives.Here for the first time, women – from all over the world – tell their own stories about: the pain and stigma of infertility; never-ending cycles of drugs and hormone injections; the trauma of the ‘test-tube baby’ method (IVF); their unmet hopes when technology fails – yet again; the damage caused by experimental medicine and surgery; how they have been exploited as so-called ‘surrogate’ mothers.These shocking stories shattered the myths of benevolent doctors working in the interests of women.The women who speak out in this book offer support and suggest alternative strategies for other people with fertility problems. Their experiences show that we urgently need to resist the false promise of reproductive technologies if all women are not to become test-sites for medical experimentation and scientific ambition. Still often discussed today it is considered a classic in the field.

Originally published in 1989, Infertility looks at how fertility treatments fail women. At the time there was disturbing evidence of medical malpractice and invasive technologies which violated women’s bodies and took a heavy toll on their lives.Here for the first time, women – from all over the world – tell their own stories about: the pain and stigma of infertility; never-ending cycles of drugs and hormone injections; the trauma of the ‘test-tube baby’ method (IVF); their unmet hopes when technology fails – yet again; the damage caused by experimental medicine and surgery; how they have been exploited as so-called ‘surrogate’ mothers.These shocking stories shattered the myths of benevolent doctors working in the interests of women.The women who speak out in this book offer support and suggest alternative strategies for other people with fertility problems. Their experiences show that we urgently need to resist the false promise of reproductive technologies if all women are not to become test-sites for medical experimentation and scientific ambition. Still often discussed today it is considered a classic in the field.

Originally published in 1981 Controlling Women critically examines the forms of moral regulation and social control that were exercised over women at the time, arguing that the study of ‘deviant’ women cannot be separated from the study of how all women are defined and controlled. Contributors consider motherhood, prostitutes, abortion, alcoholism, retirement, geriatric patients, Broadmoor patients and legal controls of sexuality in Britain.Social definitions of women and institutional arrangements are used to control women, often in such a way that women see them, not as control, but as part of everyday routines – part of the ‘natural’ order of things. The book identifies some of the ways in which women seek to resist or circumvent these forms of control.The book will still be of interest to all those concerned with the position of women in our society and, more specifically, to students and teachers of sociology, social policy and theories of deviant behaviour. Its focus on images of women and the exercise of control will be of particular interest to professionals concerned with the counselling of women, whether in social, therapeutic or medical fields.

Originally published in 1981 Controlling Women critically examines the forms of moral regulation and social control that were exercised over women at the time, arguing that the study of ‘deviant’ women cannot be separated from the study of how all women are defined and controlled. Contributors consider motherhood, prostitutes, abortion, alcoholism, retirement, geriatric patients, Broadmoor patients and legal controls of sexuality in Britain.Social definitions of women and institutional arrangements are used to control women, often in such a way that women see them, not as control, but as part of everyday routines – part of the ‘natural’ order of things. The book identifies some of the ways in which women seek to resist or circumvent these forms of control.The book will still be of interest to all those concerned with the position of women in our society and, more specifically, to students and teachers of sociology, social policy and theories of deviant behaviour. Its focus on images of women and the exercise of control will be of particular interest to professionals concerned with the counselling of women, whether in social, therapeutic or medical fields.

During the 1980s a notable development in mainstream social policy in the United Kingdom was the emergence of a feminist critique. Originally published in 1991, Women’s Issues in Social Policy was intended as a contribution to the social policy literature which could also be used in a women’s studies context. It demonstrates the impossibility of understanding the welfare state without appreciating how it treats women, especially as dependants within the family, and the conflicts of interest between men and women as well as the unequal power relationships in the welfare context. It also highlights the fact that women’s traditional role in welfare provision is as unpaid carers for children, the elderly and incapacitated people, and is particularly concerned with the everyday experiences and dissatisfactions of women which had largely been ignored within mainstream social policy research and literature at the time.Women’s Issues in Social Policy incorporates recent research findings written from a feminist perspective and reveals the breadth and depth of recent work in previously unexplored areas such as time budgeting and transport, as well as developing analysis in traditional areas of interest such as health and personal care.The editors also looked into the wider European context and included a chapter which examines whether the abortion issue would give birth to feminism in Poland.Women’s Issues in Social Policy will be of value to teachers and students of social policy and women’s studies, as well as of interest to the general reader.

During the 1980s a notable development in mainstream social policy in the United Kingdom was the emergence of a feminist critique. Originally published in 1991, Women’s Issues in Social Policy was intended as a contribution to the social policy literature which could also be used in a women’s studies context. It demonstrates the impossibility of understanding the welfare state without appreciating how it treats women, especially as dependants within the family, and the conflicts of interest between men and women as well as the unequal power relationships in the welfare context. It also highlights the fact that women’s traditional role in welfare provision is as unpaid carers for children, the elderly and incapacitated people, and is particularly concerned with the everyday experiences and dissatisfactions of women which had largely been ignored within mainstream social policy research and literature at the time.Women’s Issues in Social Policy incorporates recent research findings written from a feminist perspective and reveals the breadth and depth of recent work in previously unexplored areas such as time budgeting and transport, as well as developing analysis in traditional areas of interest such as health and personal care.The editors also looked into the wider European context and included a chapter which examines whether the abortion issue would give birth to feminism in Poland.Women’s Issues in Social Policy will be of value to teachers and students of social policy and women’s studies, as well as of interest to the general reader.

Originally published in 1938, Women Servants of the State 1870–1938: A History of Women in the Civil Service tells the story of women as they became an integral part of the Civil Service, work previously reserved for men. As the functions of government widened and the activities of the Civil Service touched the lives of people in more ways, it was felt there were many opportunities for women, particularly in the health and care of women and children. It was recognized that the joint contribution made by the cooperation of men and women together would benefit the service as a whole. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

Originally published in 1938, Women Servants of the State 1870–1938: A History of Women in the Civil Service tells the story of women as they became an integral part of the Civil Service, work previously reserved for men. As the functions of government widened and the activities of the Civil Service touched the lives of people in more ways, it was felt there were many opportunities for women, particularly in the health and care of women and children. It was recognized that the joint contribution made by the cooperation of men and women together would benefit the service as a whole. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

First published in 1941, the original blurb read: “Women have been among the worst sufferers not only in war-time but in every ill-organized time of peace. The vast “slave class” on whose backs the great civilizations of the past have been carried has always included them. What is their true share in the world’s work? What are they going to make of the new world? Can slave labour be replaced by machine labour? Can the machine-age in which the machine has too often mastered the human being be replaced by one in which humanity masters the machine? What will be the scope and character of women’s partnership in the new world? These are some of the questions women have to face and try to answer, and with which Dr. Maude Royden deals brilliantly in this challenging book.” Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.This book is a re-issue originally published in 1941. The language used and views portrayed are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.