Framed by Gender: How Gender Inequality Persists in the Modern World

by Cecilia L. Ridgeway

In an advanced society like the U.S., where an array of processes work against gender inequality, how does this inequality persist? Integrating research from sociology, social cognition and psychology, and organizational behavior, Framed by Gender identifies the general processes through which gender as a principle of inequality rewrites itself into new forms of social and economic organization. Cecilia Ridgeway argues that people confront uncertain circumstances with gender beliefs that are more traditional than those circumstances. They implicitly draw on the too-convenient cultural frame of gender to help organize new ways of doing things, thereby re-inscribing trailing gender stereotypes into the new activities, procedures, and forms of organization. This dynamic does not make equality unattainable, but suggests a constant struggle with uneven results. Demonstrating how personal interactions translate into larger structures of inequality, Framed by Gender is a powerful and original take on the troubling endurance of gender inequality.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Sociology, Gender, Research, Philosophy, Theory

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2011

Reviews

[a]

I'm teaching Sociology of Sex and Gender at the graduate level this semester, and this was the book I used to open up the course. I had not read it before but it turned out to be an excellent choice (though I haven't heard yet what my students think of it). The book provides a nuanced analysis of why gender persists using a social psychological framework. Her argument is compelling and well backed up by evidence. It is also lucidly written, especially given its complexity. She is concerned not only with gender as a modality of difference but also as a status inequality, and does a good job thinking about the links between social psychological and structural (material) processes. She then uses this framework to review and think about the extant literature on gender inequality at work and at home, which I found to be useful both as an application of her theory and as a literature review.

[Juli]

Liked it but felt that the author had a way f dragging things out. The summary at the end of the chapter said it all.

[Pamela]

If you are looking for a book that takes a different outlook on gender inequality, and proves how much it actually impacts society than Framed by gender is the right book for you because author and sociologist Cecilia L.Ridgeway did an amazing job throughout this whole book to prove her sole purpose which was not necessarily that gender discrimination exist but how is it the fact that it stays so consistent within society after so many years. Her main question throughout the book was "Are they any general social processes through which gender inequality manages to rein scribe itself in new forms of social and economic organization as these forms emerge in society?" which she later came to find out that one of the major reasons as to how it existed was the fact that everything a person knows about other people is based off gender meaning that, if you do not know a persons gender you are not able to really know anything else. Once, you mind registers the other person's gender you understand how you should move next/treat that person solely on their gender. This is why gender is so important in peoples lives because it affects everything else you do in life, how you perceive and how you are perceived. This book, shows us how important the role of gender and how it impacts, many social interactions, self awareness and how you perceive many society. The author also elaborates more on the, term of gendered lens and how they give people these impressions and ideas of others but depending on their personal gender and others gender. This book is definitely for folks who are attempting to get to the bottom of why society is so consistent with keeping up with gender discrimination ideologies and who want to know what impact society has on gender sociological aspects of life; like at home, in school and the workplace. The book has its pros and cons like every other book for instance if you do not understand basic sociological terms and ideologies the reader might have trouble understanding most of the material. Although, readers might have a little more trouble getting to the real context of the book when they do they can see that this book is a true piece or literature dedicated to help woman all over the world but also in the sociology field. Overall, in conclusion this book might have been a little bit more on the broad side and I could not really get the theme the first time around the methods and evidence used to prove major themes throughout the book really helped me look at gender discrimination very differently. It helped understand the contribution that many people do on a daily basis that enforces rather dismantles gender discrimination. I genuinely feel like that is what a good book is something that enlightens you/helps you see things differently or you simply learn progressive ideologies that will help the people get together, and fight for equality especially gender if it truly impacts society this much.

[Louie]

Here is my preface that I read this for school, and that has very much swayed my opinion. For the sake of the paper I’m writing, this book is 5 stars. It has some great examples and analysis, and is a fascinating look at why gender continues to affect society as it does. But I dreaded having to read this, I found it boring beyond belief and difficult to get through. Again, this is likely mostly because of it not being chosen for fun, and it being outside my typical focus and field. I would simply only recommend it for the sake of research unless you’re more of a sociology writing fan, I’m simply more of a historian.

[Nae]

This book was not difficult to read but I felt like I had been presented with the same information before in the same manner. That is the reason for the lower rating. I did not find anything profoundly different than other material I had been presented with in previous books/classes. It is a very loud and coherent argument though, so if you need to learn and/or interested in this area, it would be a good read.