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Gender
First published 1995 · 576 pages
A comprehensive, research-grounded exploration of how gender shapes our minds, societies, and personal realities.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a well-lit, thoughtfully organized lecture hall where the professor is as deeply empathetic as she is rigorously analytical. The pace is steady and deliberate, guiding the reader through dense psychological research with the clarifying aid of personal narratives and cross-cultural examples. It cultivates an inquisitive, grounded mood, inviting you to dismantle preconceived notions about biological sex and societal roles. The prose is accessible yet academic, striking a careful balance between empirical data and the lived, human experience of gender. It will deeply satisfy students of psychology, feminist scholars, and any curious mind eager to understand the invisible scaffolding of gender that shapes our daily lives and identities.
- Mood
- intellectual
- reflective
- grounded
- inquisitive
- Tone
- analytical
- empathetic
- objective
- informative
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- social construction of identity · intersection of biology and culture · lived experience of gender · evolution of societal roles
- The writing
- Clear, structured, and accessible academic prose that balances empirical data with engaging personal narratives.
- The arc
- Moves from foundational curiosity to a nuanced, critical understanding of how gender shapes human experience.
- Who it's for
- Students of psychology and curious readers seeking a foundational, research-backed understanding of gender dynamics.
Content notes
- discussions of sexism
- gender-based discrimination
- biological essentialism
About the book
This book provides a balanced approach to gender study- providing research related to both men and women's issues and encouraging critical thinking about topics that are relevant to all people. This book examines the topic of gender - the behaviors and attitudes that relate (but are not entirely congruent with) biological sex. Research and scholarship form the basis of this book, providing the material for a critical review and an attempt at an overall picture of gender from a psychological perspective. To accent the relevance of research findings in vivid detail, Brannon supplements the review of scholarly research with personal, narrative accounts of gender-relevant aspects of people's lives as well as highlights from a cross-cultural perspective of gender. The personal narrative and diversity highlights help to balance the research-based scholarship with the personal experience of gender. For anyone with an interest in gender studies.
Description from Open Library.
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