Gender Difference and Equality: Historical and Contemporary Debates

In the past few decades work on gender has been crucial in challenging mainstream sociological thought, and in making exciting and innovative contributions to sociological theory, methodology and policy. The aim of this Module is to chart this history and to explore some of the key contemporary debates around gender. It will build on foundational work of feminist writers in challenging mainstream sociological thought and methodologies and then move on to examine issues of femininity, masculinity and gender difference in relation to the world of work, paid and unpaid, politics, social policy, the media and crime. This Module addresses equality and diversity by focusing on the issue of gender difference and equality through the study of historical and contemporary debates on a range of topical issues reflecting diversity and equality issues in contemporary British society.