Gender and Culture in America

Gender and Culture in America traces the evolution of gender identity and gender interaction from colonial times to the present. In addition to general chapters on American gender issues through time, the book features specific chapters devoted to minority ethnic groups and college/university students, as well as new chapters on persons of alternate sexual orientation and on extranuptial families. It also includes a new section on new reproductive technologies and their implications. Each of the nine chapters is accompanied by a series of questions, which may be used either for written response or as stimuli to group discussion. Along the way, the authors explore the paradox of contemporary students who simultaneously enjoy the fruits of the feminist movement but distrust feminists; describe the evolution of the Victorian notion of True Womanhood and the influence it holds over our culture to this day; and explain how the Cult of True Romance derails many college women from pursuing their dreams by subtly encouraging them to choose majors and careers that limit their potential. Maintaining an historical perspective within a general anthropological orientation, Gender and Culture in America is appropriate as a core text or supplement for courses throughout the social sciences, including departments of sociology, anthropology, and women's studies.