The Gendered Society

Thoroughly updated throughout, the fourth edition of The Gendered Society explores current thinking about gender, both inside academia and in our everyday lives. Michael Kimmel challenges the claim that gender is limited to women's experiences--his compelling and balanced study of gender includes both masculine and feminine perspectives. Part 1 examines the latest work in biology, anthropology, psychology, and sociology; Part 2 provides an original analysis of the gendered worlds of family, education, and work; and Part 3 explores gender interactions, including friendship and love, sexuality, and violence.

Kimmel makes three bold and persuasive statements about gender. First, he demonstrates that gender differences are often extremely exaggerated; in fact, he argues that men and women have much more in common than we think they do. Kimmel also challenges the pop psychologists who suggest that gender difference is the cause of inequality between the sexes; instead, he reveals that the reverse is true--gender inequality itself is the cause of the differences between men and women. Finally, he illustrates that gender is not merely an element of individual identity, but a socially constructed institutional phenomenon.

The fourth edition features a new chapter on gender and religion; increased coverage of bisexuality and transgender issues; a series of text boxes ("Oh, Really?") that dispel gender myths; more photos and art; and an expanded Instructor's Manual that provides additional teaching and testing suggestions.

An expanded Instructor's Manual and Test Bank (9780199738588) includes chapter summaries, short-answer questions, essay questions, class discussions/assignments, learning objectives, and multiple-choice questions.


Essential reading for both students and scholars, The Gendered Society, Fourth Edition, is an authoritative, incisive, and lively statement about contemporary gender relations from one of the country's foremost thinkers on the subject.

Kimmel's companion anthology, The Gendered Society Reader, Fourth Edition (OUP, 2010), coedited with Amy Aronson, provides a perfect complement for classroom use. PACKAGE the textbook and the reader together and save your students 20%! Please call Customer Service at 800.280.0280 for details.

Michael Kimmel is Professor of Sociology at Stony Brook University, State University of New York. A leading researcher and writer on gender and men and masculinity, he is the author of numerous books and articles including The Gendered Society Reader, Fourth Edition (with Amy Aronson, OUP, 2010), Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (2009), and Manhood in America: A Cultural History (OUP, 2005).