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Summary

Now in a new edition, this landmark text introduces readers to the field of women's studies by analyzing the contradictions between social and cultural "givens" and the realities that women face in society. Written collectively by nine authors from various disciplines, Women's Realities, Women's Choices, Third Edition, has been updated to incorporate the latest research and statistics in the field. Covering the most recent developments in politics, labor, family life, religion, and culture, the book also features extensive research on relevant social issues, such as the impact of the post-Soviet world on women's lives, the experience of homosexuality in family life, and the effects of economic globalization on women worldwide. New features of this edition include a discussion of the cultural construction of women's bodies, the expectations of girlhood, new perspectives on women's partnering roles, and the serious health issues women face today. Boxes and pictures now contain more information on the current cultural scene, including material on popular culture and women in music. Examining women as individuals, as family members, and as a force in the greater social fabric, the third edition of Women's Realities, Women's Choices remains the most timely, comprehensive, and compelling introduction to the field of women's studies.

Each chapter ends with a Summary, Discussion Questions, Recommended Readings, and References
Introduction
Women's Studies in the Twenty-first Century
What is Women's Studies
Women's Studies and Feminism
History of Women's Studies
Missing Information About Humans
Changed Views of Women and Men
Issues and Goals
Race, Class, and Other Oppressions
Women's Studies as an Academic Discipline
Women's Studies as a Source of Strength
How this Book Presents Women's Studies
References
Defining Women
Imagery and Symbolism in the Definition of Women
The Meaning of Imagery and Symbolism
Experience, Perception, and the Symbolic Construction of Reality
Classification and Perception
Shaping of Reality
Imagery and Symbolism in the Definition of Women
The Construction of Images and Symbols
The Use of Symbols and Their Influence
The Use of Symbols and Their Influence
Language
Myths, Fantasies, and Imagery
Some Predominant Imagery
Frightening Females
Venerated Madonnas
Sex Objects
Earth Mothers
Women as Invisible
The Effect of thee Images on Women
Changing Reality by Changing Images
Participating in Imagery Construction:
An Example
Women Define Themselves
Women's Search for Self through Art
Historical Perspective
Contemporary Feminist Imagery
Women's Search for Self through Literature
Discovering Models in Women's Culture
The Heroine
Women's Words
Women's Identity in Utopia
The Propagation of Feminist Imagery of Women
Conclusion: Being Whole
Ideas and Theories about Women
Definitions and Theories
Women as "Other"
Women's "Nature"
Contemporary Efforts to Define "Woman"
Rethinking Knowledge
Feminist Diversity
Ideas about Freedom and Equality
Liberalism and Feminism
Wollstonecraft
Mill and Taylor
Contemporary Liberal Feminism
Conservative Sentiments and Feminism
Alternative Contemporary Feminist Views
Socialist Feminism
Radical Feminism
Other Western Feminisms
The Ethics of Care
A Feminist Agenda
Principles in Action
Women's Bodies
The Body as Cultural Construct
Feminism and the Body
Mind/Body Dualism
The Body as Natural
The Nature of Sex Differences
The Gendered Brain
Sex(ing) Hormones
Genital Anatomy
Chromosomes
The Politics of "Nature"
Discourse/Knowledge/Power
The Medicalization of the Body
Discourses of Sexuality
Body as Text
The Commodified Body
The Visibility Politics of the Body
The Reproductive Politics of the Body
Summary
Discussion Questions
Recommended Readings
References
Women's Personalities
Explanations for Differences between Women and Men
Nature versus Nurture
Biases in Research Studies
Is Anatomy Destiny?
Evolutionary Theories
Traditional Psychoanalytic Theory
Alternative Feminist Psychodynamic Theories
The Importance of Culture
The Importance of Relatedness
Feminism and the Lacanian Turn
Cognitive-Developmental Theory
Social
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