Women’’s Lives: A Psychological Exploration

Women’s Lives integrates the most current research and social issues to explore the psychological diversity of girls and women varying in age, ethnicity, social class, nationality, immigrant experience, sexual orientation, gender identity, ableness and body size and shape. The text embeds a lifespan perspective within each topical chapter and has an intersectional approach that integrates women’s diverse identities. It includes rich coverage of women with disabilities and on middle-aged and older women throughout. Taking a deeper transnational focus, it also examines the impact of social, cultural, and economic factors in shaping women’s lives around the world.

This edition explores the latest areas of research and tackles important contemporary topics such as:

• feminization of immigration
• media portrayals of LGBTQ individuals and immigrants
• regulating testosterone levels in women’s sports; disorders of sexual development; nonbinary identity
• the effects of social media on body image; sizeism
• new classification of sexual disorders
• menstrual equity and the ＂tampon tax＂
• migrant women as transnational mothers
• academic environment for low-income, ethnic minority, and immigrant women
• effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s employment and work-family balance
• the dilemma of unpredictable work hours
• healthcare barriers experienced by immigrant women and LGBTQ individuals
• #MeToo movement; vigilante gender violence
• the fourth wave of feminism
• the role of immigrant women and ethinc minority women in grassroots feminist activism
• men’s support of feminist issues and more

Boasting a new full-color design and rich with pedagogy, the book includes several boxed elements in each chapter. ＂In The News＂ boxes present current news items designed to engage students in thinking critically about current gender-focused events and issues. The ＂What You Can Do＂ boxes give students examples of applied activities that they can engage in to promote a more egalitarian society. ＂Get Involved＂ boxes ask students to collect data and to critically think about the explanations and implications of the activity’s findings. ＂Learn About the Research＂ boxes expose students to a variety of research methods and highlight the importance of diversity in research samples by including studies of underrepresented groups. At the end of each chapter, ＂What Do You Think＂ questions foster skills in critical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation by asking the student to apply course material or personal experiences to provocative issues from the chapter. The ＂If You Want to Learn More＂ feature provides names of the most current books available on various topics that are discussed in the chapter. Combining up-to-date research with an approachable and engaging writing style, Women’s Lives is an invaluable resource for all students of gender from psychology, women’s studies, gender studies, sociology, and anthropology.

Claire A. Etaugh, Caterpillar Professor of Psychology at Bradley University, has taught Psychology of Women for 35 years. Her research on gender has been published in several journals including Psychology of Women Quarterly, Sex Roles, Developmental Psychology, and the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Judith S. Bridges, Professor Emerita of Psychology at the University of Connecticut, taught Psychology of Women courses for many years. Her research on women and gender has been published in Psychology of Women Quarterly and Sex Roles.