FALL 2007:
REVIEWS FOR THE SOCS LIBRARY
Reviews are listed in alphabetical order by author of the reviewed text.
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Binnie, Jon. The Globalization of Sexuality. Sage 2004.
Reviewed by Mike Kellerman
In "Locating Queer Globalization," Jon Binnie laments the tendency of social theorists to ignore sexuality in discussions of globalization, or "the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole" (33). In discussing this oversight, he points out the recent trend in gay and lesbian studies to consider globalization as a new lens through which to examine queer identity and politics. In many ways, Binnie sees this tendency as a critique of the Western bias in queer theory and a move which criticizes the field's lack of a stronger social and economic foundation.
Binnie uses the work of two specific theorists to demonstrate the debate in queer globalization. Dennis Altman, who is the most prominent scholar of queer globalization, may champion the idea of a global gay community, but, in Binnie's view, is all too quick to condemn queer consumer culture in his "representation of gay consumers as passive dupes of the capitalist system" (49). By contrast, Nina Wakeford's research on queer cyberspace offers a more subtle analysis which acknowledges both agency and inequality without Altman's preachy and moralistic tone. Overall, Binnie's arguments are balanced and clearly delineate the importance of studying the globalization of sexuality.
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Bowman, Marjorie A., Erica Frank, & Deborah I. Allen, eds. Women in Medicine: Careers and Life Management. Springer-Verlag 2002.
Reviewed by Heema Tambakuwala
"Enjoying a Marriage or Partnership" is about the dynamics of a marital relationship or partnership when the wife is a physician. The chapter includes primary research and statistics about various aspects of marriage when women are doctors and compares the same facets of marriage to when men are doctors. The reader is left to interpret the reasons for the dichotomies between men and women. The purpose of the chapter is to inform its intended audience, women in medicine or women interested in medicine, about what to expect in a marriage or partnership. The chapter also encourages women to consider how they would handle potential marital problems that are associated with a career in medicine.
The chapter focuses on the hardships female physicians encounter in their marital and family life using different statistics. The chapter also uses statistics to affirm that men do not experience the same hardships as women in a marriage. Although the assumption that female doctors have a more difficult life than male doctors is not explicitly expressed, the authors allow the reader to make the assumption from the statistics presented. For instance, the authors indicate, "More men physicians report their spouse is extremely supportive of their career [79% compared to 69% of women physicians (Warde et al 1996)...]" (Allen and Bowman 26).
Moreover, the chapter contributes to feminism, gender, and women by acknowledging double standards that begin in society and extend into the home life. This allows the reader to consider how society must change in order to alter the dynamics within a quintessential marriage involving a female doctor. Further research on this topic includes studying the marriages of couples of different races where the woman is a physician. The results can be compared to that of American marriages and partnerships. This chapter is recommended to all female physicians to validate emotions they may experience and anticipate problems that they may encounter as physicians. The chapter is also recommended for male physicians to assist them in understanding the struggles of their female counterparts. The only limitation the chapter has is that it only applies to the medical profession and does not consider other cultures and races.
Reviewed by Eliana Reyes
Chap. 3: Stress Prevention and Management
In this chapter Deborah Allen and Marjorie Bowman discuss the importance of stress prevention for women who are in the medical field. The chapter demonstrates that while every woman deals with stress, it is difficult for professionals in the medical field to admit that stress may be affecting their health. The primary reason is because most women play the role of wonderwoman, while still upholding old domestic roles.
Despite the fact that the chapter focuses on medical professionals, other professions can benefit from it. Stress management is a topic that is across all professions, especially in a demanding society where more and more women are rising as top executives, are involved in academia, political, and medical world.
In addition, this topic greatly contributes to the overall subject of feminism. As stated by the authors, "there continues to be a macho attitude underlying the commonly held view that internships and residencies be trials by ordeal." In other words, it is difficult to address the stresses that come with medical training with this underlying belief.
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Clark, Gracia. Gender at Work in Economic Life. Rowman & Littlefield 2003.
Reviewed by Lauren Serrano
In the section of "Female Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean: A Multisited, Pilot Investigation of Gender and Work", this chapter focuses on an examination of 90 middle-class women entrepreneurs to analyze their work patterns as well as what the specific forces are that create a barrier for women to achieve equal status. The female entrepreneurs are interviewed from three islands in the Caribbean. The focus is also of the status of the women who work on these islands from past to present. From World War II, the amount of women that have participated in the work force has more than tripled. In the Caribbean, women are strongly represented in the work force yet lack the economic mobility and decision-making authority of men (Clark 67). Also, we see the similarities of the work women perform in the three islands (Puerto Rico, Martinique, and Barbados), such as the pay rate in each country; women earn eighty-five cents for every dollar men earn. All in all, this essay provides information to learn more about women in the workforce in the Caribbean islands and how it affects their economic status.
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Henderson, Mary E. Gifted and Talented Females Speak Out on Parental Influences and Achievement! Hamilton 2005.
Reviewed by Deepa Cherla
Chapter 8: Gifted and Talented Females Speak Out! Narratives on Parental Influences and Achievement
Intended for individuals raising young women, the chapter describes mentorship influences on gifted females. While no explicit thesis or theories are stated due to the objectively dry format of this reportorial-like section, the articles suggest that loving mentors who instill confidence in girls raise proactive women who always remember their childhood lessons. Through the interview-based narratives of diverse women, (musicians, actresses, singers, teachers, attorneys, civic leaders, accountants, and politicians), Henderson emphasizes the various ways in which mentors can guide females. By stressing such an open-ended view, this work contributes to literature examining attitudes other than those of a wealthy-female-from-a-stable-nuclear-family formerly highlighted by feminist analysis. Henderson highlights the major achievements of each woman before describing the interactions and attitudes of mentors towards the interviewees and quoting reflections. All the women, despite varied backgrounds, share supportive mentors, including parents, teachers, counselors, coaches, and grandparents, who expected achievement, self-discipline, and proper behavior from an early age. However, by neglecting other developmental influences (ie wealth and innate personality), Henderson suggests that mentors can single-handedly instill achievement-oriented mindsets. Few interviewees (eight) also lead to doubt over applications of such research. This source is recommended for superficially studying the roles of mentors and confidence-building in females.
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Henderson, Sarah L. and Alana S. Jeydel. Participation and Protest: Women and Politics in a Global World. Oxford UP 2006.
Reviewed by Shana Baty
The topic of this article is sexual harassment in the workplace, written under the umbrella chapter of "The Politics of Gender Equality" in Participation and Protest: Women and Politics in a Global World . The overall purpose of this source examines the impact of gendered public policy from a cross-national, comparative perspective and the intended audience may be any person interested in learning more about the tribulations and triumphs women have seen in a political, global economy.
The source illustrates progress made in the arena of sexual harassment rather than argues for a particular thesis, though it briefly encourages improvements to be made to existing policies. It deals with the theoretical assumption of what exactly is sexual harassment and explains this explicitly by defining the term under the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's definition, using it as a guideline for the subject. After this definition, the source then describes laws and their varying (though overall positive) impact from Japan, the United States, and the European Union.
I would recommend this book for those with budding interests in women's and gender studies, who would like to delve into the ways in which "women participate in institutionalized politics, social movements, and revolutionary movements." This book thoughtfully encompasses topics such as maternity leave, reproductive rights, women and education, suffrage, and women in politics. It may be limited in its usefulness by not spending enough time talking about how we can encourage even more change, but imparts great knowledge on the struggles women face in this rapidly changing, globalized world economy.
Reviewed by Ashley Coultas
Henderson and Jeydel (2006) discuss various threats to women's health, including the lack of family planning and maternal care, the undervaluing of female as compared to male children, and the proliferation of HIV and AIDS. Through their use of both quantitative and qualitative data, they argue that women worldwide counter significant barriers to living long and healthy lives, and these barriers contribute to the disparities between men's and women's quality of life. The health disparities with which females must live indicate not only the biological differences between males and females, but also the discrepancies in social status, power, and choice between the genders. Statistics from such organizations as the United Nations, the United Nations Population Fund, and the World Health Organization, as well as discussions of various traditions, cultural practices, and proverbs, indicate that not only do these health issues affect women themselves, but that by virtue of the roles women generally play in the household and in society (i.e., mothers, caretakers, food providers), these issues ultimately affect the total well-being of societies.
The discussion of women and health is relevant to the overall topics of feminism, gender, and women in the workplace because if women face obstacles preventing them from living the healthiest lives possible, they cannot contribute their full potential to either the workplace or the world in general. The authors contend that women's rights and women's health need to be viewed as human rights, such that the larger issues of gender equality within both the household and society must be addressed before women's health can improve. Based on this conclusion, this source is useful in considering potential areas of work either directly or indirectly involved in improving women's health.
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Levit, Nancy and Robert R. M. Verchick. Feminist Legal Theory: A Primer.
Reviewed by Trista Altstadt
"Education and Sports" focuses on the developmental history of: women's education, women's participation in school-sponsored sports, and sexual harassment law in schools. This chapter describes changes experienced in these areas, current trends, and future implications of these trends using statistics, legal history, biographical accounts, and current news reports. The history Levit and Verchick provide is detailed and organized to supply any reader, whether familiar or unfamiliar with women's education, with a solid resource of how women's school involvement has evolved over the past three centuries.
This chapter also discusses the current practices of education, focusing specifically on same-sex schools, charter schools, and school vouchers. Though the authors present both pro's and con's for these issues, their writing suggests an argument against these systems. The authors also offer an exploration into all the facets of Title IX, when most focus solely upon its effect on women's involvement in school sports.
"Education and Sports" provides insight into the world of schools and education, something not only essential for success in any workplace but also important for those desiring to enter this field and for those planning to have a family. This chapter's only drawback is that it does not provide as much information on women as school professionals as it does on women as students.
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Rico, Yrma, and Nancy Garascia. La Vida Rica: The Latina's Guide to Success. McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Reviewed by Evelin Martinez
The article chosen to be considered for the SOCS library is Pathways to Power: Finding Help on Your Viaje is an article from Yrma Rico and Nancy Garascia's book La Vida Rica: The Latina's Guide to Success. The main purpose of this article is to inform the Latina reader about successful strategies and actions she should make to achieve success in her career.
Throughout the article, the authors relate their advice to their audience. For instance, the authors add a quote by an English professor who states how "Hispanic women need to be assertive and independent" as opposed to the "ladylike" behavior that is instilled in them at home (Rico and Garascia, pg.123). This information addresses the gender behavior within Hispanic society.
In addition, the important messages in the article are "deep connecting" type of network, help others, be friendly, meet powerful people, have a mentor, and be a mentor. When the authors refer to these messages they usually use their life as a Latina as an example to connect with their audience. For example, when illustrating how to properly network the reader is provided with an example of how Hispanic families help each other.
Reviewed by Stephanie L. Natera
A Must Read for Latinas
Si, Any Latina Can Live Her Dreams is chapter one of Nancy Garascia and Yrma Rico's book, La Vida Rica: The Latina's Guide to Success. The target audience for this book is Latina women of all ages because it is never too late to begin a new life. This chapter motivates Latinas to show them that they can be successful despite contrary belief.
The authors' use of Spanish to emphasize certain points is a brilliant way to relate to the readers. In most cases, for readers who cannot read or understand Spanish there is a translation quickly thereafter. The use of language and memory is clever way to engage the readers through experiences that may be common within Latino households.
The purpose of this chapter is to empower other Latina women through the authors' own life experiences with their immediate families, the business world, and much more and inform Latinas that they can become rica (rich) and achieve their dreams with perseverance and hard work. They highlight the various obstacles that will/may arise when Latinas are reaching for their dreams and tell the women how they can overcome those five major roadblocks.
This book/chapter would be great for Latinas who are in search of motivation and are only looking down versus looking up at the endless possibilities.
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Romero, Mary. Maid in the U.S.A. 10th edition. New York: Routledge, 2002. 127-149.
Reviewed by Jen Braverman
Mary Romero's chapter detailing the bonds of sisterhood and oppression focuses on the complexities behind why women hire other women. Opening with the united feminist front to end household labor as domesticity is linked to servitude; Romero then breaks the article into five segments: Physical labor, emotional labor, the psychological reasons why women hire women, purchasing status by hiring a woman of color, and purchasing difference. Romero's thesis claims that this unpaid domestic work liberation frees the middle class white woman to in turn hire a woman of color to work under poor conditions with minimum pay. Men do not step in to take over the domestic work load; women are now the employers for this household labor. In such circumstances, women are still hiring other women. This article relates directly to this course as it explores the double domination of how women who hire other women to perform their domestic tasks do not escape the cycle of patriarchy and exploit women socioeconomically below them in order to gain more time and freedom to explore the work force.
Reviewed by Bryana Fogarty
Mary Romero discussed with academic colleagues and their maids to better understand the dynamics of domestic work. After discussing the situation with college professors, administrators, researchers, and students, Romero concluded that the employers were unable (or refused) to see their homes as a place of work. Moreover, Romero found that the employers did not even define the domestics they hired as workers. From this economic position, employers failed to recognize the needs of their domestics, in particular, needs that they enjoyed themselves as academic employees, such as work breaks, vacations, benefits, raises, etc.
Romero critiques modern feminism and notes that the demand of feminism falls hard on working class women. Trying to figure out solutions to this inequality, she asked the opinions about the bosses, utopian feminists, dodgers and duckers, the common victim, maternalists, and contractors. Romero feels that employers can improve the working conditions in domestic work. However, as a society we need to change our notion that domestic work is only women's work.
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Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl.
Reviewed by Gillian Smith
Megan Seely's book Fight Like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist offers many resources for budding 3 rd wavers. One of its better points is her chapter on activism and subsequent sources found in the back of the book. Not only is Seely easy to read, she submits multiple options for how to become an activist and useful tools to utilize once a project is selected. Her insight into the world of activism is not only helpful, but vital, seeing as she is the former president of California's NOW chapter. The chapter, titled "Fight Like a Girl" outlines multiple ways of getting involved, stating, "no act is too small..." (16). Most useful, however, are her appendixes, four of which are geared toward advantageous activism. She lists how to plan a successful event, how to deal with the media, and, potentially the most important, how to write a press release. These resources are invaluable to anyone already in, or wanting to join the non-profit, or activist world. I would recommend this how-to-guide to anyone looking to get involved in today's feminist movement, whether of college or retirement age.
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Sender, Katherine. Business, not Politics: The Making of the Gay Market. Columbia UP 2004.
Reviewed by David Parziale
"Just Like You" is the 8 th and final chapter in Katherine Sender's Business, Not Politics: The Making of the Gay Market. The overall book addresses varying facets of analysis of the GLBT market. Chapter 8 specifically focuses on the positive and negative sides of having visibility as a market. It addresses the differing view points on the connections between business in marketing and political power through marketing. Critics argue gay marketing has a negative depoliticizing effect, comodifying the GLBT community. This comodification removes political power. They also argue that marketing mainstream has an assimilation affect, catering to the GLBT community becoming more like their heterosexual counterparts. Sender argues that gay marketing is a matter of business and politics. Sender stands somewhere in the middle of the argument. While she does not totally agree with the critics, Sender also does not see the marketing as being totally positive.
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Sullivan, Michael, ed. Sexual Minorities: Discrimination, challenges, and development in America. Haworth social Work 2004.
Reviewed by Mary Margraff
Sexual Minorities: Discrimination, Challenges and Development in America by Michael Sullivan is a book that closely looks at the way that society takes issue with any sexuality that is not considered the "norm". I read the Chapter entitled Gay Adolescents in Rural Areas: Experiences and Coping Strategies written by Darrell Yasbrough. This chapter is extremely important in looking at the gay, lesbian, transgendered, and other sexual "minorities" that are living in the rural areas of our country. Gay and lesbian youth in America have a high rate of school dropouts, drug and alcohol abuse, and attempted suicide because many times these individuals feel unsupported and discriminated against with their families, friends and society. Yasbrough writes on a study that was done to increase awareness and also to help find solutions to the prejudice that these youth living in more rural areas come in contact with. It is not to say that gay and lesbian teens living in urban areas do not face any discrimination or violence, because that is untrue. But it seems that there is less tolerance, awareness and support as a whole for kids living in areas outside of metropolitan areas. It is a crucial study and chapter on getting services and more support to rural areas so that the youth that are in the sexual minorities in these areas have a place to turn to, fit in, and belong. It also could be the start of helping to educate their families, friends, and people of the community on differing sexualities, and the freedom and tolerance that should accompany them. The gay and lesbian youth need the support, but everyone else needs the education to try and stop the cycle of intolerance, discrimination and cruelty that is way too often aimed at people of "other sexual preferences" than just heterosexuality.
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Thomas, Sue, and Clyde Wilcox, eds. Women and elective office. Oxford UP, 2005.
Reviewed by Lauren Zitwer
Dolan's chapter in the book Women and Elective Office is a useful overview of the changing perception of American voters towards women candidates for office. Recognizing that women often face more complex challenges as candidates more than men do, Dolan guides the reader through the changing voter attitudes from the early 20 th century up until 2000, citing her own experimental research along with major national organization findings from groups such as the Nation Election Study and the Gallup Organization.
The chapter objectively explores how women face gender stereotyping, but it can work both for and against them when running for office. For example, past studies that have shown masculine character traits are more appealing for an elected leader, but Dolan points out they are only hypothetical studies and results may differ when in an actual election. Ultimately, the chapter suggests that women's election success is only in part influenced by their sex, but it is not controlled by it.
The chapter's references are slightly dated, with the most recent poll from the year 2002. However, it is a good starting point for learning about women in office and it opens up questions about the current political context in the United States, particularly for the 2008 presidential campaigns.
Reviewed by Emily JuricekThe last chapter of Women in the Elective Office: Past, Present, Future written by Jean Reith Schroedel and Marcia L. Godwin focuses on how the "plateau effect" has hindered women from advancing in the political realm. Through analyzing historical accounts, statistics, and various primary materials and observations, the authors examine why women struggle to gain political representation in the United States as well as other countries. The theme of this chapter focuses on the idea that beginning in the late 1990s, the rate of increase in women serving in political office has leveled off, which can be identified as the "plateau effect." Schroedel and Godwin analyze religious, social, and economic reasons as to why this has occurred and what needs to be reformed. Directing their attention to political parties, interest groups, educational institutions, and the media, these women hope to break down the current barriers that deter women from achieving parity with male officeholders. As an introduction to women's political issues and limitations, this chapter offers a concise summary of how gender discrimination is still prominent in our political system and why this prevents women from achieving equal political opportunities as men.
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Witeck, Robert and Wesley Combs, Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand-Loyal Gay Consumers. Kaplan 2006.
Reviewed by Alison Williams
Witeck, and Combs's, Business Inside Out; Capturing Millions of Brand Loyal Gay Consumers , is a book that advocates the pros of businesses that cater to one of the largest minorities, the gay market. More specifically, Chapter 2 titled, "Evolution of Gay Consumers" outlines the growth of gay advertisement through media.
The central theme of the chapter chronicles the visibility and emergence of the gay market particularly through three recognizable stages of gay consumer identity: (1)the "underground" phase pre-WWII; (2) the community-building period, which includes, the emergence of magazines, newspapers, bars, and gay owned small businesses; (3) the mainstream phase with the onset of the internet. The chapter presents helpful historical information about gay consumers and provides quantitative statistics that support the thesis. The chapter ultimately advocates for the gay market but provides counter arguments, made against ad agencies when gay visibility became more apparent.
This is a good chapter for referencing sexuality issues and business, rather than women's rights. It also provides an accurate historical timeline to use in further research. This article is mostly factual there is little theoretical influence, but it acts as a great springboard if you are doing research on the rise of gay identity and the media. I would recommend the chapter in context with the rest of the book. The authors provide great information about consumerism and business building while providing the appropriate corresponding history. The authors provide you with the background, and then the support for their central thesis. Overall, the chapter is worth the 8-page read and manages to pack a lot of information into every chapter.