Women Across Cultures

Providing an in-depth look at the lives of women and girls in approximately 150 countries, this multivolume reference set offers readers transnational and postcolonial analysis of the many issues that are critical to the success of women and girls. For millennia, women around the world have shouldered the responsibility of caring for their families. But in recent decades, women have emerged as a major part of the global workforce, balancing careers and family life. How did this change happen? And how are societies in developing countries responding and adapting to women's newer roles in society? This four-volume encyclopedia examines the lives of women around the world, with coverage that includes the education of girls and teens; the key roles women play in their families, careers, religions, and cultures; how issues for women intersect with colonialism, transnationalism, feminism, and established norms of power and control. Organized geographically, each volume presents detailed entries about the lives of women in particular countries. Additionally, each volume offers sidebars that spotlight topics related to women and girls in specific regions or focus on individual women's lives and contributions. Primary source documents include sections of countries' constitutions that are relevant to women and girls, United Nations resolutions and national resolutions regarding women and girls, and religious statements and proclamations about women and girls. The organization of the set enables readers to take an in-depth look at individual countries as well as to make comparisons across countries. * Presents a broad postcolonial feminist examination of the lives of women and girls worldwide through essays about the female experience in individual countries * Provides sidebars that highlight details about individual women and interesting topics that affect women and girls * Includes primary source documents that offer readers a direct look at important statements, laws, and policies about women and girls

This book provides a much-needed survey of the discrimination and violence against women in developing countries, and identifies the literature and resources available about this topic. Because of improvements in communication technologies, the West has become increasingly aware of horrific examples of ongoing discrimination and violence against individual women in developing countries. As a result, more attention is being paid to the gender bias and hardship that women in developing countries face in their everyday lives, and the importance of these women in economic development and the alleviation of poverty is starting to be recognized. Women in Developing Countries: A Reference Handbook addresses topics like the status of women in developing countries; their access to education, health care, and the political process; their legal status; the extent to which they are considered property; female genital mutilation and other harmful practices; and other timely issues. This book also provides statistical information, data on selected nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other organizations set up to improve the lives and advance the status of women, and sources of further information in print and nonprint media. * Supplies a chronology of significant events relevant to women in developing countries * Presents biographies of individuals who have advanced human rights for women, and others who play key policy or political roles * Provides a bibliography containing abstracts of selected books, handbooks, manuals, and films/DVDs that provide a wide perspective on major issues * Includes a glossary and basic subject index

This book surveys Latin American and Caribbean women's contributions throughout history from conquest through the 20th century. From the colonial period to the present day, women across the Caribbean and Latin America were an intrinsic part of the advancement of society and helped determine the course of history. Women's Roles in Latin America and the Caribbean highlights their varied and important roles over five centuries of time, providing geographical breadth and ethnic diversity to the Women's Roles through History series. Women's roles are the focus of all six chapters, covering themes that include religion, family, law, politics, culture, and labor. Each section provides specific examples of real-life women throughout history, providing readers with an overview of Latin American women's history that pays special attention to continuity across regions and variances over time and geography. * Includes a timeline of women's history in Latin America and the Spanish Caribbean * Provides a bibliography of suggested readings to promote further research * Presents a lengthy general introduction on women's roles in Latin America and the Caribbean

This four-volume set documents the complexity and richness of women's contributions to American history and culture, empowering all students by demonstrating a more populist approach to the past. Based on the content of most textbooks, it would be easy to reach the erroneous conclusion that women have not contributed much to America's history and development. Nothing could be further from the truth. Offering comprehensive coverage of women of a diverse range of cultures, classes, ethnicities, religions, and sexual identifications, this four-volume set identifies the many ways in which women have helped to shape and strengthen the United States. This encyclopedia is organized into four chronological volumes, with each volume further divided into three sections. Each section features an overview essay and thematic essay as well as detailed entries on topics ranging from Lady Gaga to Ladybird Johnson, Lucy Stone, and Lucille Ball, and from the International Ladies of Rhythm to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. The set also includes a vast variety of primary documents, such as personal letters, public papers, newspaper articles, recipes, and more. These primary documents enhance users' learning opportunities and enable readers to better connect with the subject matter. * Provides significantly more detail than typical reference works on women's history and culture, enabling readers to better appreciate the contributions of women of all socio-cultural statuses * Covers the astounding range of American women's experience, including women of various economic and racial statuses, religious affiliations, political and ideological identifications, and sexualities * Includes a significant selection of primary documents, thereby combining the educational power of secondary and primary literature to create a richer learning experience for users

Explores the lives of women in American society. Includes information on women's demographic trends, educational achievements, employment, financial status, parental responsibilities, political roles, victimization, and health issues.

Collecting more than 200 sources in the global history of feminism, this anthology supplies an insightful record of the resistance to patriarchy throughout human history and around the world. From writings by Enheduana in ancient Mesopotamia (2350 BCE) to the present-day manifesto of the Association of Women for Action and Research in Singapore, Feminist Writings from Ancient Times to the Modern World: A Global Sourcebook and History excerpts more than 200 feminist primary source documents from Africa to the Americas to Australia. Serving to depict "feminism" as much broader--and older--than simply the modern struggle for political rights and equality, this two-volume work provides a more comprehensive and varied record of women's resistance cross-culturally and throughout history. The author's goal is to showcase a wide range of writers, thinkers, and organizations in order to document how resistance to patriarchy has been at the center of social, political, and intellectual history since the infancy of human civilization. This work addresses feminist ideas expressed privately through poetry, letters, and autobiographies, as well as the public and political aspects of women's rights movements. * More than 200 chronologically arranged entries on feminist writers, thinkers, and organizations across 4,000 years of human history * Contributions from more than 100 international scholars, including historians, sociologists, literary, cultural theorists, religious scholars, writers, and activists * Brief bibliographies of further readings, websites, and other relevant resources with each entry * Lists of entries arranged by region as well as by broad topic, in addition to a comprehensive index

"Covers such topics as the three waves of feminism, sexism and oppression, intersectionality, disability, race, LGBTQ theory, and ecofeminism. The use of film, literature, art, case studies, and other disciplines or situations/events provide illustrations of human experiences which work as gateways to questions philosophers try to address"--

The central aim of this encyclopedia is to give the reader a comparative perspective on issues involving conceptions of gender, gender differences, gender roles, relationships between the genders, and sexuality. The encyclopedia is divided into two volumes: Topics and Cultures. The combination of topical overviews and varying cultural portraits is what makes this encyclopedia a unique reference work for students, researchers and teachers interested in gender studies and cross-cultural variation in sex and gender. It deserves a place in the library of every university and every social science and health department. Contents:- Glossary. Cultural Conceptions of Gender. Gender Roles, Status, and Institutions. Sexuality and Male-Female Interaction. Sex and Gender in the World's Cultures. Culture Name Index. Subject Index.    

The study of gender differences began in earnest in the 1970s and has since increased dramatically to infiltrate virtually all fields of study in the social and behavioral sciences. Along the way, it was discovered that while women very often think and behave differently than do men, industrialized societies cater to masculine perspectives. The "Psychology of Women" emerged as a field of study focusing on just those areas in which women most often butted against assumed roles. And similarly, in the 1990s, the "Psychology of Men" emerged to focus on the same issues for men. The Encyclopedia of Gender covers all three areas under one cover, discussing psychological differences in personality, cognition, and behavior, as well as biologically based differences and how those differences impact behavior. Coverage includes studies of these differences in applied settings such as education, business, the home, in politics, sports competition, etc. Key Features * Over 100 In-depth chapters by leading scholars in the psychology of women and gender * Addresses critical questions of similarities and differences in gendering across diverse groups, challenging myths about gender polarization and the "Venus/Mars" distinction * Broad coverage of topics from theory and method to development, personality, violence, sexuality, close relationships, work, health, and social policy * Sensitive attention to multicultural and cross-cultural research * Clearly written, readable, comprehensive, with helpful guides (outline, glossary, reference list) * Raises difficult questions related to power, inequality, ethics, and social justice * Challenges the reader to revise established "truths" and to seek further information * Maintains a feminist and woman-centered focus