Introduction to gender studies.

Summary This book has become a reference in the field of gender studies. It offers a clear, synthetic and up-to-date overview of the essential concepts of this discipline, illustrated by numerous concrete examples. Why do we give dolls to girls and cars to boys? Why do women earn less than men? Why do women do two-thirds of the domestic work? Is gender an identity or a constraint? Is power inherently male? These are just some of the many questions that gender studies have addressed, and over the past 40 years they have become not only a field of knowledge, but also an essential analytical tool in the human and social sciences. Beyond the variety of phenomena studied, the book develops several essential axes of gender studies: the differences in the ways of seeing, thinking and acting between women and men are the result of a social construction . the analysis must not be limited to the study of "one" sex, but must focus on their relations . gender is a relationship of domination whose modalities and intensity are constantly reconfigured . it must be analyzed in relation to the other power relationships that run through societies. This manual offers a clear and synthetic overview of the essential notions and references of gender studies, illustrating them with numerous concrete examples. For undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and teachers in sociology, anthropology, political science, history and philosophy. [Publisher's abstract].