The Gendered Society [Paperback]

Michael S. Kimmel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2000

The Gendered Society examines current thinking about gender, both inside academia and in our everyday lives. Through an examination of current work in biology, anthropology, psychology, and sociology (in Part I), an original analysis of the gendered worlds of family, education, and work (in Part II), and the gendered interactions of friendship and love, sexuality, and violence (in Part III), Kimmel makes three claims about gender. First, he argues that the differences between men and women are not as great as we often imagine, and that in fact women and men have far more in common with one another than we think they do. Second, he challenges the notions of many pop psychologists who suggest that gender difference is the cause of the dramatic observable inequality between the sexes. Instead, Kimmel reveals that the reverse is true: gender inequality is the cause of the differences between women and men. Third, Kimmel argues that gender is not simply an aspect of individual identity but is also an institutional phenomenon, embedded in the organizations and institutions in which we interact daily. Kimmel concludes with a brief Epilogue looking ahead to gender relations in the new century. The Gendered Society is a well-reasoned, authoritative, and keenly animated statement about gender relations today, written by one of the country's foremost thinkers on the subject. It is an essential text for both scholars and students alike. Kimmel's companion book, The Gendered Society Reader (OUP, 1999), provides a perfect complement for classroom use.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Frustrated at the dearth of materials available for him to assign to students in his courses on the sociology of gender, Kimmel, a sociology professor at State University of New York, Stony Brook, has written an up-to-date survey of the academic literature that should serve his purposes nicely, although this book will be heavy going for anyone for whom it is not assigned reading. His secondary motivation is to counter the "fictitious pseudoscientific claims" of popular writers who preach that men and women are from different planets: "We're not opposite sexes," writes Kimmel, "but neighboring sexes." In chapters that will clearly serve as units on a syllabus, Kimmel (Manhood in America; Changing Men) reviews, from a feminist-friendly perspective, current research on how gender affects biology, sexuality, the family, parenting, marriage, the workplace, the classroom and violence. His thesis that "gender difference is the product of gender inequality, and not the other way around" leads to the conclusion that "the society of the third millennium will increasingly degender traits and behaviors without degendering people." Although Kimmel's emphasis is frequently on the necessity of transforming masculinityAthe unfinished second half of the gender revolution of the 20th centuryAhe is scrupulous in maintaining balance and comprehensiveness, discussing the lives of both women and men in a variety of cultural contexts. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Kimmel (sociology, SUNY at Stony Brook; Manhood in America) critiques beliefs about gender in society. Despite popular thinking on the topic, Kimmel finds great similarities between women and men and reproaches popular writers who claim that "women are from Venus and men are from Mars." He convincingly argues that the differences between men and women are not as vast as those among men or among women, and he proposes that gender differences are the result of gender inequality, not vice versa. Utilizing a social constructionist viewpoint, he further argues that gender difference and gender inequality are not inevitable facets of society; the differences we see result from variables in social position or situation. Kimmel also explores how gender inequality lays the groundwork for presumptions of gender variations, and he considers its effects on our lives. Kimmel, who has an exemplary record in the field of men's studies and gender studies alike, makes a strong case here, conclusively drawing much of his statements from research data without bias or manipulation. What results is a topical treatment well versed in academic research and theoretical analysis. Recommended for larger public and academic gender study collections.DMichael A. Lutes, Univ. of Notre Dame Lib., IN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195125886
• ISBN-13: 978-0195125887
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare book, June 7, 2003

By 

CC ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gendered Society (Paperback)

I highly respect a writer who does not follow trends.Who
looks at society and the so called "gender differences"
as cultural rather than fixed biological traits.
Difference is a matter of cultural conditioning,expecting
differences and enhancing them through reinforcing
sterotypes and myths about boys,girls,men and women.
I can understand the writers frustration with the status quo
gender typing going on in America today.Gender and "differences"
has become a national obsession.Freedom is but a word if the
individual is not honored and nutured.
He leaves so much room for the reader to think.He is not
preachy or arrogant.He gives the human race room for variation,
rather than fixed static hard wired traits believed to be the
norm by most gender study writers.
Very happy to see someone standing up for the human race,
rather than dividing it into opposing sexes.
Great book for readers who feel fenced in by sexism,pop science
and writers trying to make a buck from the gender "difference"
craze.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gendered Society, June 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gendered Society (Paperback)

One of the best studies of the cultural forces that determine what we believe we are supposed to be and to think. It will take strong people to go against these rule and to move us toward a society that allows both women and men to live in love and freedom.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but slanted and somewhat unbalanced, May 5, 2006

By 

Dan Trachtman (Rockville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gendered Society (Paperback)

As a man who considers himself a feminist, I was very interested in this topic. I have often felt that our definitions of masculinity and femininity are damaging to both genders, and this book strengthened my conviction and further informed my arguments. This book is full of insightful statistics and useful cross-cultural and historical references.

But, except for a smattering of more balanced discussion, much of the book reads as men=bad, women=good. Some examples:

-In the intro he discussed an 8yr old boy's explanation of why he wouldnt want to be a girl but fails to mention all the reasons a girl might not want to be a boy (fear of physical violence, pressure to be good at sports, homophobia, etc.).

-He also exagerates what might otherwise be valid points. He states, "Women who suceed are punished for abandoning their femininity, rejected as potential partners, labeled as "dykes", left off of invitation lists". This might happen a bit, but I doubt most successful women would report such extremes.

-The author explains that the reason women have have so many more clothes than men is that its because they know that everything they wear signifies something and they dont want to send the wrong message. True but could the author admit maybe a little that women actually enjoy shopping more than men?

-He quotes an author who discuss today's conditions as if they hadnt changed in a few decades, "..the image of a successful manager or business executive is almost always an image of a well-dressed, powerful man". I now see women shown as executives more and more often.

-For example, in his discussion of teen shootings, and all the theories, he states, "All the while we missed the point-even though it was staring right back at us:The killers were middle-class white boys who live in gun states." If that was all that is necessary to lead to homicide (as he implies), why doesnt every middle-class white boy who lives in a gun state do it? The author often overlooks almost any other cause other than American masculinity.

My book has maybe a dozen places where I circled examples such as these that I think are not very fair. But that said, it has many more places where I underlined things I had never thought of before and I found very valuable.

So I would still recommend people read this book, but take some of it with a grain of salt and perhaps read other viewpoints for more balance. Although the author wouldnt want to simplify it this way, one of the main thrusts of the book is that in the nature/nurture debate, the author believes its ALL nurture and won't validate any biological underpinnings.

Oh lastly, one central argument I found problematic: He states ".. all the psychological traits and attitudes and behaviors that we, as a culture, label as "masculine" or "feminine" need to be redefined." Its a valid point, but he doesnt really state how that would really work. It sounds like by making it about being human and not masculine or feminine he wants to do away with the labels altogether yet he says he doesnt advocate for androgyny.