Product Review

Designed as a supplement in courses on the psychology of women, the psychology of gender, and gender-role development, this collection of short, accessible lectures, written by experienced and committed teachers, spotlights topics that often receive less in-depth coverage in core textbooks. While topically arranged to align with standard texts, each "favorite lecture" stands alone: essentially instructors can assign the readings to meet their own course needs. Among the student-friendly features are the informal writing styles, with each author speaking directly to the reader; questions and ideas that encourage critical thinking; and biographical statements and photographs that introduce each contributor. The authors represent a variety of personal backgrounds and experiences, but they believe in the importance of gender equality. To that point, the book addresses common feminist themes, including the social construction of gender, power, the value of diversity, inclusive language, the global status of women, and the value of social activism.

Table of Contents: I. STATUS OF WOMEN 1. Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality(Bem) 2. Who's In and Who's Out (Ostenson) 3. Poor Women in a Wealthy Nation (Belle) 4. Sex Discrimination at Work (Crosby) 5. Feminist Perspectives on the Personal and Political Aspects of Mothering (Hall) 6. Gender Socialization, Or How Long a Way Has Baby Come? (Basow) II. WOMEN'S BODIES 7. Sweating It Out (Hall) 8. Women, Weight, and Body Image (Smith) 9. The Intersexed and the Transgendered (Golden) 10. PMS as a Culture-Bound Syndrome (Chrisler) 11. Understanding Emotional Responses after Abortion (Russo) 12. Women with Disabilities (Olkin) 13. The Health Risks of Being Black, Latina, Woman, and/or Poor (Bowleg) III. DIVERSITY OF WOMEN 14. Asian American Women and Adolescent Girls (Chan) 15. Life as a Lesbian (Garnets) 16. Gender Issues among Latinas (Castañeda) 17. Triple Jeopardy in the Lives of Biracial Black/White Women (Gillem) 18. Mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire, and Their Homegirls (West) 19. Crossing the Color Line in Women's Friendships (Rose) IV. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 20. Women's Fear of Rape (Rozee) 21. Women and Pornography (Scott) 22. Battered Women (Stahly) V. WOMEN S MENTAL HEALTH 23. Positive Aging for Women (Gergen) 24. A Feminist Approach to Agoraphobia (McHugh)

Titles of related interest also from Waveland Press: Crawford-Unger, In Our Own Words: Writings from Women s Lives, Second Edition (ISBN 9781577664901) and Lips, A New Psychology of Women: Gender, Culture, and Ethnicity, Fourth Edition (ISBN 9781478631880).