Women and Inequality in the 21st Century

Recent books have drawn attention to an unfinished gender revolution and the reversal of gender progress. However, this literature primarily focuses on gender inequality in the family and its effect on women’s career and family choices. While an important topic, these works​ ​are critiqued for being particularly attentive to the concerns of middle-class, heterosexual, White women and ignoring or erasing the issues and experiences of the vast majority of women throughout the United States (and other countries). ​

Women and Inequality in the 21st Century is an edited collection that addresses this dearth in the current literature. This book examines the continued inequities navigated by women occupying marginalized social positions within a ＂nexus of power relations.＂ It addresses the experiences of immigrant women of color, aging women, normative gender constraints faced by lesbian and gender non-conforming individuals assigned the female gender at birth, religious constraints on women’s sexual expression, and religious and ethnic barriers impeding access to equality for women across the globe. Contributors to this collection reflect varying fields of inquiry--including sociology, psychology, theology, history, and anthropology. Their works employ empirical research methods, hermeneutic analysis, and narrative to capture the unique gender experiences and negotiations of diverse 21​st-century women.

Brittany C. Slatton​ is Associate Professor of Sociology at Texas Southern University. Dr. Slatton’s recent books include ​Mythologizing Black Women (2014) and ​Hyper Sexual Hyper Masculine? Gender, Race, and Sexuality in the Identities of Contemporary Black Men (2014). You can find her scholarly articles in journals such as ​Sociology Compass, Socius, and ​Genders. In Fall 2017, she served as the prestigious Langston Hughes Visiting Professor at the University of Kansas.

Carla D. Brailey​ currently serves as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Texas Southern University. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Brailey participates in New Leaders Council (NLC), Houston Chapter, serves as the Chair of KeyPac and on the Advisory Council for Sankofa Institute, and was recently selected for Leadership Houston’s Class XXXIV. Dr. Brailey also served in the former Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Cabinet as the Executive Director of Community Affairs and Senior Advisor for Religious Affairs for the District of Columbia.