Published in 1912, this trenchant yet little-known study is
arguably the first introductory text in the field of women's
studies. Its author, known as both Mary Roberts Smith and Mary
Roberts Coolidge, was the first woman to attain a fulltime academic
appointment in sociology. While teaching a variety of sociology
courses at Stanford University, she published a major academic
study in 1896 called Almshouse Women and also wrote professional
articles for the American Journal of Sociology and Publications of
the American Statistical Association. Later in her career she
published another important sociological study called Chinese
Immigration (1909). In Why Women Are So Coolidge broadened her
focus to the overall role of women in American society. Her key
thesis is that "sex traditions rather than innate sex character
have produced what is called 'feminine' as distinguished from
womanly behavior." Coolidge was thus a pioneer in exploring the
social construction of gender by emphasizing that a woman's social
roles should not be defined by her biology. While mothers no doubt
would always make a vital contribution to society, she argued that
men should not assume that motherhood is woman's only possible
contribution. Further, she contended that the reason so few women
had till then gone beyond the traditional child-bearing role was
that male-dominated society had constrained women throughout their
lives by dress, language, and the organization of the marketplace.
Looking to the future Coolidge urged society to allow women to
assume "wider citizenship, " namely by affording them opportunities
of achieving economic, political, and personal liberation. With a
very informative introduction andbibliography by University of
Nebraska professor of sociology Mary Jo Deegan and an
autobiographical essay by Mary Roberts Coolidge, this new edition
of a farsighted work by a remarkable and unfortunately neglected
early feminist will be of great value to anyone interested in the
history of women's rights.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
