Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration

by Robyn R. Ryle

Overview

Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration aims to spark productive conversations and questions about gender and serve as a resource for exploring answers to many of those questions. Rather than providing definitive answers, this book aims to challenge students’ preconceptions about gender and demonstrate how gender as a system creates and reinforces inequality. Taking a global approach, author Robyn Ryle uses both historical and cross-cultural approaches to help students understand the socially constructed nature of gender. Through examining contemporary topics, including the #Me Too movement, sexual harassment in the workplace, and the gender wage gap, students will be prompted to think critically about past, present, and future gender-related issues.

The Fifth Edition has been updated with expanded coverage of disability as it relates to gender, discussion of issues related to transgender and nonbinary people, and examination of the COVID-19 pandemic's gender-related effects, as well as updated data throughout.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071884034
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	08/30/2023
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.12(h) x (d)

About the Author

Robyn Ryle is a full professor of sociology and gender studies at Hanover College in Hanover,

Indiana, where she has been teaching sociology of gender and other courses for 19 years. She

is the author of two nonfiction books. She/He/They/Me: For the Sisters, Misters, and Binary

Resisters is a book about gender told in the style of a choose your own adventure. Throw Like a

Girl, Cheer Like a Boy: The Evolution of Gender, Identity, and Race in Sports is an exploration of

inequality and social justice in the world of sports. Ryle went to Millsaps College in Jackson,

Mississippi, for her undergraduate degree in sociology and English with a concentration in

women’s studies. She received her Ph D in sociology from Indiana University. She is a member

of the American Sociological Association and Sociologists for Women in Society and has

served on the editorial board of the journal Teaching Sociology. She grew up in a small town

in northern Kentucky and now lives in another small town just down the Ohio River. When

she’s not teaching classes, she writes, gardens, and watches lots of sports. She currently lives in

a 170-year-old house in scenic Madison, Indiana, with her husband, stepdaughter, and two

peculiar cats. You can find her on Instagram (@robynrryle) and Twitter (@robynryle) or read

her Substack newsletter, You Think Too Much.

Table of Contents

Preface
Part I: What are the important questions to ask about gender?
Chapter 1: What is this thing called gender and why should we care about it? Introducing gender
Chapter 2: What’s the “sociology” in the sociology of gender? Understanding sociology and gender
Chapter 3: How do disciplines outside of sociology study gender? Some additional theoretical approaches
Part 2: How are our lives filled with gender?
Chapter 4: How do we learn gender? Gender and socialization
Chapter 5: How does gender matter for who we want and desire? The gender of sexuality
Chapter 6: How does gender impact the people you spend time with? The gender of friendship and dating
Chapter 7: How does gender matter for how we think about our bodies? The gender of bodies and health
Part 3: How is gender an important part of the way our society works?
Chapter 8: How does gender impact the people we our lives with? The gender of marriage and families
Chapter 9: How does gender affect the type of work we do and the rewards we receive for our work?
Chapter 10: How is gender on the big screen, the sports field, the small screen, your magazine, your music, and your computer screen? The gender of media and popular culture
Chapter 11: How does gender help determine who has power and who doesn’t? The gender of politics and power

Editorial Reviews

I have adopted other gender texts and been dissatisfied. When I found Questioning Gender, I knew I needed to look no further. It has the theoretical foundation and research focus which are so important to me as well as an approachable style that incorporates global diversity and intersectionality.”

Kimberly M. Pitts

I like that the text focuses on questioning, something that can be difficult for some students. As primarily a sociology text, [Questioning Gender] covers some psychology and anthropology (and other social sciences) within it.”

Spencer Acadia

Real strengths are its emphasis on masculinity, focus on sociological theory, and the examples.

Clifford Leek

A comprehensive overview of information, simple but effective explanation of concepts and interesting and relevant examples.

Michelle Altieri

The book is extremely comprehensive in its coverage of the area of gender and sexuality. Particularly, noteworthy is the amount of attention and discussion given to transgendered issues.

Zabedia Nazim

This textbook is straightforward and to the point. I love how the questions are included on different pages for students to use in face-to-face or online discussions. I enjoyed the Theory Alert! feature."

Marisol White

I like [Questioning Gender] because it is approachable, it covers various theoretical perspectives, and I like how the text is organized.”

Renata Forste

I really like the inclusion of discussion questions and activities at the end of each chapter [of Questioning Gender]. Many of the books out there right now on the subject of gender are readers with diverse content (many times there are too many readings and abbreviated versions do not always read well), which I have found are more difficult for students to understand than a classic textbook. I also find that the book is also very easy to read and provides excellent examples of the concepts and theories that are explored.”

Patricia Neff Claster