Books by Subject
Books by Subject
Gender
Book Description
Written by one of the foremost authorities in the field, this engaging text presents the latest scientific findings on gender differences, similarities, and variations--in sexuality, cognitive abilities, occupational preferences, personality, and social behaviors, such as aggression. The impact of nature and nurture on gender is examined from the perspectives of genetics, molecular biology, evolutionary theory, neuroanatomy, anthropology, sociology, and psychology. The result is a balanced, fair-minded synthesis of diverse points of view. Dr. Lippa's text sympathetically summarizes each side of the nature-nurture debate, and in a witty imagined conversation between a personified "nature" and "nurture," he identifies weaknesses in the arguments offered by both sides. His kaleidoscopic review defines gender, summarizes research on gender differences, examines the nature of masculinity and femininity, describes theories of gender, and presents a "cascade model," which argues that nature and nurture constitute the inseparable threads that weave together to form the complex tapestry known as gender.
Gender, Nature, and Nurture applies the nature-nurture debate to such
topical public policy questions as:
*Should girls and boys be reared alike?
*Should schools treat girls and boys alike, and is same-sex education beneficial
or harmful to children?
*Should mothers be granted custody of young children more often than fathers?
*Is sexual violence a uniquely male problem that stems, in part, from biological
roots?
*Should corporations treat male and female employees differently?
*Why is there a "gender gap" in political attitudes, and how can society
encourage greater gender equity in leadership positions?
*Should women and men serve equally in the military?
This lively "primer" of gender research is an ideal book
for courses on gender studies, the psychology of women or of men, and gender
roles. Its wealth of up-to-date scientific information stimulates the professional
reader; its accessible style captivates the student reader; and its forthright
examination of the relation between scientific debate and public policy fascinates
the general reader.
Book Description
Wendy Kline's lucid cultural history of eugenics
in America emphasizes the movement's central, continuing interaction with popular
notions of gender and morality. Kline shows how eugenics could seem a viable
solution to problems of moral disorder and sexuality, especially female sexuality,
during the first half of the twentieth century. Its appeal to social conscience
and shared desires to strengthen the family and civilization sparked widespread
public as well as scientific interest. Kline traces this growing public interest
by looking at a variety of sources, including the astonishing "morality
masque" that climaxed the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition;
the nationwide correspondence of the influential Human Betterment Foundation
in Pasadena, California; the medical and patient records of a "model"
state institution that sterilized thousands of allegedly feebleminded women
in California between 1900 and 1960; the surprising political and popular support
for sterilization that survived initial interest in, and then disassociation
from, Nazi eugenics policies; and a widely publicized court case in 1936 involving
the sterilization of a wealthy young woman deemed unworthy by her mother of
having children.
Kline's engaging account reflects the shift from "negative eugenics" (preventing procreation of the "unfit") to "positive eugenics," which encouraged procreation of the "fit," and it reveals that the "golden age" of eugenics actually occurred long after most historians claim the movement had vanished. The middle-class "passion for parenthood" in the '50s had its roots, she finds, in the positive eugenics campaign of the '30s and '40s. Many issues that originated in the eugenics movement remain controversial today, such as the use of IQ testing, the medical ethics of sterilization, the moral and legal implications of cloning and genetic screening, and even the debate on family values of the 1990s. Building a Better Race not only places eugenics at the center of modern reevaluations of female sexuality and morality but also acknowledges eugenics as an essential aspect of major social and cultural movements in the twentieth century
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Editorial Reviews
Book
Description
Applying current theory and research, this book links the development
of sex differences in cognition to biological foundations, multiple social
processes, and contextual factors. Areas covered include evolutionary biology,
neuroscience, social roles, and cultural contextualism and the issues of the
onset, causes, developmental trajectories, and patterns in children's and
adolescents' thinking, problem-solving, academic performance, and social
conditions that are related to behaviors in each of these areas.
About
the Author
ANN McGILLICUDDY-DE LISI is the Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of
Psychology at Lafayette College.
RICHARD DE LISI is a Professor of Educational Psychology at Rutgers University.
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Gender, Nature, and Nurture
by Richard A. Lippa
Paperback - 312 pages (August
2001)
Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc;
ISBN: 0805836063
Other Editions: Hardcover
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Gender Gap in Science and Engineering
: Illuminating the Differences in Career Outcomes of Ph.D.S
by J. Scott Long (Editor),Linda Skidmore-Roth (Editor)
Hardcover - 450 pages (March
2000)
National Academy Press; ISBN:
0309055806
This item will be published in
March 2000. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives.
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Sex Differences: Developmental
and Evolutionary Strategies
by Linda J. Mealey
Hardcover - 458 pages
(April 2000)
Academic Pr; ISBN: 0124874606
; Dimensions (in inches): 1.08 x 9.48 x 7.66
The
author, Linda Mealey , December 22, 1999
Why another book on sex differences?
Sex differences, like age differences, are a biological fact. There is,
however, significant disagreement as to whether sex differences are so large and
so relevant that we need to segregate social roles in relation to sex as we do
with age. Furthermore, while sex differences are a biological fact, they are
also a sociocultural fact and, as noted gender researcher Janet Shibley Hyde
points out, our "facts" are in a constant state of flux. Indeed, it is
not simply our knowledge about sex differences that changes: the facts
themselves also change. Thus, one purpose of this book is to bring readers up to
date with knowledge about current sex and gender differences.
A second purpose of this book is to establish a framework from which to view sex and gender differences. Are men and women are as different as if they were from different planets (as the title of one best-selling book suggests)? Are human sex differences are so substantial that we will need perpetual negotiations to reach (inter-planetary) accord? Or are sex differences diminishing in this age of technology and mass media to the point that eventually they- and the questions they raise- will become moot? The life history framework introduced in the first chapter of this book should help readers to anticipate which sex and gender differences are most likely to remain and which are most likely to disappear- and why. Subsequent chapters on sex differences in other animals help to put human sex differences into perspective.
Finally, what we think about sex and gender differences matters. Our knowledge of, and attitudes toward sex and gender differences surface in many aspects of life. The final chapter of the book (Chapter 12) addresses interpersonal relationships and current issues in law, politics, and the workplace.
Between chapters 1 and 12 you will find answers to the following commonly asked questions:
Why are there two sexes in the first place? Why not just one? Why not three or more? (Chapter 3)
How do we learn/decide/discover whether we are male or female? How do we learn/decide/discover who and what sexually stimulates us? Can we change it if we want to? (Chapters 2 & 10)
Why do women have permanently enlarged breasts when no other female mammals do? Why don't men? (Chapters 4 & 7)
Why are women, on average, shorter than men? Why do they mature earlier? Why do they live longer? (Chapters 9, 11 & 12)
Why do women get depressed more often but men commit suicide more often? Why is anorexia so much more common in women than in men? Indeed, why are eating disorders so prevalent at this time in history? (Chapters 3, 9 & 12)
Do men really have more extra-marital sex than women? Why is sexual infidelity such an emotional issue? Why are social and legal penalties generally more severe for unfaithful women than for unfaithful men? (Chapters 8, 10 & 11)
What "causes" rape? How can it be prevented? (Chapters 3, 5, 6, 9 & 10)
Why is it that cross-culturally, males commit 90% of all crimes and an even greater proportion of violent crimes? (Chapters 5 & 10)
Why are there so many men and so few women in politics? Are men better politicians? Are women better psychologists? What about veterinarians? scientists? (Chapters 7, 9, 11 & 12)
What are the roles of politics and religion in determining our sexual beliefs and practises? (Chapters 9, 11 & 12)
These are not easy questions and the book doesn't provide easy answers; it is not a "quick read". If you are interested in a serious discussion of these issues, however, and you are not opposed to an evolutionary approach, this is the book for you.
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Anger : The Misunderstood Emotion
by Carol Tavris
Paperback - 383 pages Rev edition
(October 1989)
Touchstone Books; ISBN: 0671675230
; Dimensions (in inches): 0.99 x 8.41 x 5.40
Synopsis
Tavris' "landmark book" (San Francisco Chronicle) dispels the
common myths about anger and includes a brand-new chapter on strategies for
specific anger scenarios.
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Ambition & Accommodation : How
Women View Gender Relations
by Roberta S. Sigel
Paperback (June
1996)
University of Chicago Press; ISBN:
0226756963 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.59 x 9.06 x 6.04
Book
Description
What do ordinary citizens really think about issues of gender equality
and gender roles? Combining data from both telephone surveys and in-depth focus
groups, Ambition and Accommodation provides the most detailed portrait
to date of how Americans, in particular American women, think they are faring
in today's society.
By juxtaposing the voices of women and men from all walks of life, Sigel finds that women's perceptions of gender relations are complex and often contradictory. Although most women see gender discrimination pervading nearly all social interactions--private as well as public--they do not invariably feel that they personally have been its victims. They want to see discrimination ended, but believe that men do not necessarily share this goal. Women are torn, according to Sigel, between the desire to improve their positions relative to men and the desire to avoid open conflict with them. Their desire not to jeopardize their relations with men, Sigel holds, helps explain women's willingness to accommodate a less-than-egalitarian situation by, for example, taking on the second shift at home or by working harder than men on the job. Sigel concludes that, although men and women agree on the principle of gender equality, definitions as well as practice differ by gender.
This complex picture of how women, while not always content with the status
quo, have chosen to accommodate to the world they must face every day is certain
to provoke considerable debate. --This text refers to the hardcover edition
of this title
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Biopsychology
by John P.J. Pinel
Hardcover - 570
pages 3rd edition (May 1996)
Allyn & Bacon; ISBN: 0205184456
; Dimensions (in inches): 0.98 x 11.12 x 8.72
From
the Back Cover
Clear, witty, and inspiring, Pinel's third edition builds on the considerable
strengths of its predecessors—strong research base, and comprehensive topical
coverage—and adds a totally redesigned illustration package. Now, this outstanding
book has an art and photo program to match, with the majority of art redesigned
and enhanced to better complement Pinel's wide range of pedagogy.
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Boys and Girls : The Development of Gender Roles
Feminist Theories and Feminist Psychotherapies : Origins, Themes, and Variations (Haworth Innovations in Feminist Studies)
Gender and Stress
by Lois Beiner, Grace K. Baruch, (Editor), Rosalind Barnett (Editor)
Hardcover - 386 pages (October
1987)
Free Press; ISBN: 0029013801 ;
Dimensions (in inches): 1.49 x 9.60 x 6.55
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Left Brain, Right Brain : Perspective
from Cognitive Neuroscience (Series of Books in Psychology)
by Sally P. Springer & Georg Deutsch (Contributor)
A new myth of human origins has taken hold, and even if you're not familiar with its specifics you're likely to know its contours and to have seen its detritus: T-shirts that proclaim "I Survived 5,000 Years of Patriarchal Hierarchies," goddess earrings dangling from a friend's ears, Venus of Willendorf reproductions, advertisements for goddess travel tours.
According to this matriarchal myth, whose proponents include archaeologist Marija Gimbutas and cultural historian Riane Eisler, men and women lived together peacefully before written records. Society was centered around women, who were honored as incarnations of the Great Goddess. Then a great transformation occurred, and men thereafter dominated society.
Given the universality of patriarchy in recorded history, this vision is understandably appealing for many women. After all, Eller notes, the myth posits a peaceful social structure in which women make important decisions for their communities as powerful, even revered, leaders. But does it have any basis in fact? And as a myth, does it benefit women?
In this lucid and fascinating volume, Eller traces the emergence
of feminist matriarchal myth, explicates its functions, and examines the evidence
for and against a matriarchal prehistory. Finally, she explains why this vision
of peaceful, women-centered prehistory is something feminists should be wary
of.
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The Lenses of Gender : Transforming the Debate on Sexual
Inequality
by Sandra Lipsitz Bem
Paperback Reissue edition (August
1994)
Yale Univ Pr; ISBN: 0300061633
; Dimensions (in inches): 0.70 x 9.21 x 6.10
Book
Description
In this book, a leading theorist on sex and gender discusses how hidden
assumptions embedded in our cultural discourses, social institutions, and individual
psyches perpetuate male power and oppress women and sexual minorities. Sandra
Lipsitz Bem argues that these assumptions, which she calls the lenses of gender,
shape not only perceptions of social reality but also its more material aspects-like
unequal pay and inadequate daycare. Her penetrating and articulate examination
of these hidden cultural lenses enables us to look at them rather than through
them and to better understand recent debates on gender and sexuality
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Love Between Equals : How Peer Marriage
Really Works
by Pepper Schwartz
Paperback - 205 pages (September
1995)
Free Press; ISBN: 0028740610 ;
Dimensions (in inches): 0.68 x 9.20 x 6.15
Synopsis
Today's couples, for the first time in history, insist on equality in
all aspects of their marriages. Bestselling author and sociologist Schwartz
uncovers the hidden pitfalls, the drastic changes, and the unsuspected and astonishing
rewards experienced by truly equal partners. Throughout the book, Schwartz shows
peer couples how they can fulfill the unprecedented promise of equality.
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Love and Sex : Cross-Cultural Perspectives
The Mismeasure of Woman
by Carol Trvis
Paperback Reprint
edition (February 1993)
Touchstone Books; ISBN: 0671797492
; Dimensions (in inches): 1.01 x 8.45 x 5.56
Synopsis
Tavris disproves the theories of the "otherness" of women perpetuated
by convention and reinforced by flawed scientific studies, as she introduces
readers to a radical new way of thinking about men and women.
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Myths of Gender : Biological Theories About Women and Men
Sex, Power, Conflict : Evolutionary and Feminist Perspectives
Sexual Harassment : Theory, Research, and Treatment
Sexual Salvation : Affirming Women's
Sexual Rights and Pleasures
by Naomi B. McCormick
Thinking Critically About Research on Sex and Gender
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Why Marriages Succeed or Fail : And How
You Can Make Yours Last
by John M. Gottom
Paperback (June
1995)
Fireside; ISBN: 0684802414 ; Dimensions
(in inches): 0.67 x 8.96 x 5.87
Back
Cover
Psychologist John Gottman has spent 20 years studying what makes a marriage
last. Now you can use his tested methods to evaluate, strengthen, and maintain
your own long-term relationship. This breakthrough book guides you through a
series of self-tests designed to help you determine what kind of marriage you
have, where your strengths and weaknesses are, and what specific actions you
can take to help your marriage.
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Women's Health : From Womb to Tomb
by Penny Kane
Paperback 2nd edition
(March 1994)
St Martins
Pr (Short); ISBN: 0312106238 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.80 x 8.49 x 5.46
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Women, Men, and Gender : Ongoing Debates
by Mary Roth Walsh (Editor)
Paperback - 445
pages (September 1996)
Yale Univ Pr; ISBN: 0300069383
; Dimensions (in inches): 1.24 x 9.87 x 7.07
Book
Description
In this timely book, experts from a wide range of disciplines take
opposing views on such important gender controversies as learning and knowing,
conversational style, partner violence, sexuality, leadership styles, and pornography.
Mary Roth Walsh follows the format she established in her highly acclaimed book
The Psychology of Women, presenting new issues and perspectives on subjects
sure to intrigue all students of gender studies. --This text refers
to the hardcover edition of this title
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