The Sociology of Gender

Provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how gender is created, reinforced, and challenged across multiple levels of social life

Now in its third edition, The Sociology of Gender provides a clear and thorough introduction to the sociological study of gender, offering an essential foundation for navigating an increasingly complex field. Drawing on the latest developments in gender scholarship, Amy S. Wharton incorporates new research on transgender and non-binary identities, LGBTQ experiences, and racial-ethnic diversity. This textbook's tripartite framework—focusing on individual, interactional, and institutional approaches—encourages students to engage critically with diverse perspectives while identifying key points of overlap, divergence, and debate.

Grounded in intersectional analysis, The Sociology of Gender examines how power, privilege, and inequality shape gendered experiences across work, family, education, and broader societal institutions. Wharton challenges students to question taken-for-granted assumptions, emphasizing that what appears “natural” or “obvious” is often the product of specific social processes. Chapters address topics ranging from gender socialization and workplace segregation to sports, caregiving, and public policy, supported by comparative and cross-national perspectives that enhance the discussion. The text also highlights the influence of feminist thought on sociological theory to demonstrate how critical scholarship can reshape our understanding of core concepts.

Equipping students to both grasp key concepts and to apply them in analyzing real-world issues, The Sociology of Gender:

• Challenges bioessentialist and binary views of gender, offering alternative sociological perspectives
• Explores how socialization, interaction, and institutional practices create and maintain gender distinctions and inequalities.
• Includes critical discussion questions and clear conceptual explanations to support student learning
• Balances theoretical diversity with clarity, making complex scholarship accessible to students
• Draws on global research to expand understanding beyond U.S.-centered perspectives.

The Sociology of Gender, Third Edition, is ideal for undergraduate students at the introductory or intermediate level in courses such as Sociology of Gender, Diversity, Social Problems, and related social science electives. It fits seamlessly into sociology degree programs and majors focusing on gender studies, diversity studies, and social inequality.

Amy S. Wharton is Professor of Sociology Emerita at Washington State University, Vancouver. Her research on gender inequality, the sociology of work, and work-family policies has been widely published in leading journals, including American Sociological Review and Social Forces. She is the author of Advanced Introduction to the Sociology of Work, co-author of The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities, and editor of Working in America: Continuity, Conflict, and Change in a New Economic Era, Fifth Edition.