The Future of Gender

This book provides a major assessment of the effectiveness of the concept of gender.

Jude Browne (Edited by)

9780521697255, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 August 2007

300 pages, 3 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.44 kg

'The Future of Gender underscores that feminist scholarship is composed of a range of divergent and oppositional arguments. Moreover, it suggests that the heterogeneity of the field is a boon, not a burden. The book's strength lies not in wholly new intellectual adventures, but in the variety and richness of its contributions.' Law and Politics Book Review

'Gender' is used to classify humans and to explain their behaviour in predominantly social rather than biological terms. But how useful is the concept of gender in social analysis? To what degree does gender relate to sex? How does gender feature in shifts in familial structures and demography? How should gender be conceived in terms of contemporary inequality and injustice, and what is gender's function in the design and pursuit of political objectives? In this volume a collection of international experts from the fields of political philosophy, political theory, sociology, economics, law, psychoanalysis and evolutionary psychology scrutinize the conceptual effectiveness of gender both as a mode of analysis and as a basis for envisioning the transformation of society. Each contributor considers how gender might be conceived in contemporary terms, offering a variety of (often conflicting) interpretations of the concept's usefulness for the future.

Part I. Reorienting the Feminist Imagination: 1. Mapping the feminist imagination: from redistribution to recognition to representation Nancy Fraser
2. Perspectives on gender equality: challenging the terms of debate Valerie Bryson
3. When will society be gender just? Ingrid Robeyns
Part II. Variations on the Theme of 'Gender': 4. Does biology play any role in sex differences in the mind? Simon Baron-Cohen
5. Sex and the social construction of gender: can feminism and evolutionary psychology be reconciled? Susan Hurley
6. 'Trans' trouble: trans-sexuality and the end of gender Terrell Carver
7. Gender and social change Tony Lawson
8. Procreative mothers (sexual difference) and child-free sisters (gender) Juliet Mitchell
Part III. Gender and Political Practice: 9. The politics of female diversity in the 21st century Catherine Hakim
10. Gender inequality and the gendered division of labour Rosemary Crompton
11. The equal treatment principle and 'gender': theory and practice Jude Browne.

Subject Areas: Evolution [PSAJ], Law [L], Economics [KC], Political science & theory [JPA], Psychology of gender [JMG], Social theory [JHBA], Sociology [JHB], Gender studies, gender groups [JFSJ]