The Sex Role System

First published in 1978, The Sex Role System traces the phenomenon of sex role stereotyping through many different disciplines and areas of study, showing how presuppositions about sex role expectations can colour our perceptions and radically affect both the theories and the practices underlying our lives today. The contributions, by several well-known psychologists and sociologists, highlight many specific areas of stereotyping in our society, including marriage, school, work, psychiatry, the Social Security services, and the Inland Revenue. In drawing together the many facets of sex role stereotyping, the editors are able to show how the complex conscious and unconscious processes making up the System are formed. An empirical approach to the problems involved, together with a discussion of the ethical issues, ensures that the reader will gain a greater understanding of the System and its substantial influences during the course of the analysis. This book is a must read for students and researchers of psychology, sociology, and feminist studies.

Jane Chetwynd, at the time of the first publication, practiced as a feminist psychologist in Christchurch, New Zealand. Oonagh Hartnett, at the time of the first publication, was Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Wales, Institute of Science and Technology.

1. Introduction 2. Biological explanations of sex-role stereotypes 3. Sex-role socialisation 4. Perspectives in sex-role stereotyping 5. The influence of the school on sex-role stereotyping 6. Sex-role stereotyping in studies of marriage and the family 7. Sex-role stereotyping at work 8. Women and psychiatry 9. Clinical aspects of sex-role stereotyping 10. Sex-role stereotyping in the social security and income tax systems 11. Sex-role stereotyping and social science Epilogue