This edited volume looks at the reproduction and transformation of family norms in contemporary times. Set against a context of far-right politics calling for a return to more conservative identity politics and family norms, and building on late 20th century social movements which challenged essentialist and functionalist understandings of identities and families, it considers a variety of non-traditional family structures. Written by scholars based in Argentina, Ghana, Italy, Portugal, the UK, and the USA, the chapters question what ‘counts’ as a family in contemporary times and considers how the discourses of power which operate in institutional and geographical contexts impact how families are recognized and valued. The book includes analysis of non-traditional and non-heteronormative families such as single-parent families, childless families, families with animal companions, LGBTQ families, families across the Global South, mixed heritage families and families of friends. Drawing on post-structuralist, critical, and feminist theories the contributors discuss how power relationships linked to gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality, dis/ability and other in/equalities intersect and operate in defining what counts as a family.

Teachers, Gender and the Feminisation Debate critically engages with the claim that teaching is a feminised profession and offers a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the way gender and power play out in the lives of male and female teachers. Informed by social constructivist, feminist theories of work and education, the book adopts a relational and intersectional approach to gender. Drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources, including national and international datasets, policy and research texts, and an original corpus of interviews conducted by the author in England and France, the book provides a timely assessment of a view of teaching as feminised. It explores the various discourses and debates about the feminisation of teaching which circulate in media and policy circles in a range of local, national and international contexts, and questions some of the claims underpinning these discourses. It also analyses the experiences of men and women who teach, looking at the way gender and power impact on their careers and private lives in the context of the feminisation debate. Teachers, Gender and the Feminisation Debate offers a research-informed and comprehensive account of gender issues in the teaching profession and will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education, sociology and gender studies.

Teachers, Gender and the Feminisation Debate critically engages with the claim that teaching is a feminised profession and offers a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the way gender and power play out in the lives of male and female teachers. Informed by social constructivist, feminist theories of work and education, the book adopts a relational and intersectional approach to gender. Drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources, including national and international datasets, policy and research texts, and an original corpus of interviews conducted by the author in England and France, the book provides a timely assessment of a view of teaching as feminised. It explores the various discourses and debates about the feminisation of teaching which circulate in media and policy circles in a range of local, national and international contexts, and questions some of the claims underpinning these discourses. It also analyses the experiences of men and women who teach, looking at the way gender and power impact on their careers and private lives in the context of the feminisation debate. Teachers, Gender and the Feminisation Debate offers a research-informed and comprehensive account of gender issues in the teaching profession and will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education, sociology and gender studies.

This timely volume explores the ways that university institutions affect the experiences of student carers and how student carers negotiate the (often conflicting) demands of care and academic work. The book maps the experiences of student carers in academic cultures, exploring the intersectional ways in which gender, class, race and other social categories define who can take up a position as a student and a carer. It is framed by concerns of equity and diversity in higher education and ways that diverse people with wide-ranging care responsibilities are able to access and engage with degree-level study. The book promotes the idea of a more inclusive and equitable higher education environment and supports the emergence of more 'care-full' academic cultures which value and recognise care and carers. The book will be highly relevant reading for academics, researchers and post-graduate students with an interest in higher education, social justice, gender studies and caring responsibilities. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students in sociology of education as well as higher education policymakers.