This reissued work, first published in 1987, examines the problematic and divisive attitudes which bourgeois and socialist feminists take to the question of the links between patriarchy and capitalism and the importance of class conflict as a major cause of women's subordination. Engels still occcupies a central role in this debate and feminists writing in the hundred years since the publication of The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State frequently turn to this book in an attempt to find validation for their central argument.

The contributors to this volume reconsider Engels' theories and review evidence from those societies that have attempted to implement his belief that the key to the emancipation of women lies in their entry to social production.

As the female labour force continues to expand, the terms on which women participate remain a considerable problem. Working Women presents a detailed examination of women's position in the paid workforce in a variety of first and third world countries and identifies the common cultural and economic factors which create disadvantage.

"Working Women" presents a detailed examination of women's position in the paid workforce in a variety of countries and identifies the common cultural and economic factors which create disadvantage. Believing that awareness is the precondition to change, the contributors offer insights into the reasons for unequal conditions through studies of women's work in the diverse contexts of retailing, library work, employment in Turkish factories, veiling by women workers in Egypt and sex tourism in South East Asia.

This reissued work, first published in 1987, examines the problematic and divisive attitudes which bourgeois and socialist feminists take to the question of the links between patriarchy and capitalism and the importance of class conflict as a major cause of women's subordination.

Scientific developments have always been central to conceptions of society at particular historical moments. However, the rise of molecular biology and the new genetic knowledge in the twentieth century pose particular challenges to our notions of the individual, our sense of past and future, and our relationships with the body, nature and the family. As a number of authors have suggested, the meanings of 'life itself' may be in the process of subtle transformation and many of these reconfigurations are occurring more rapidly than our ability to fully grasp their social and cultural implications. A fascinating work, the first volume in this collection sets out the background to scientific developments, the social responses to them and the constitution of science and technology as subjects for sociological analysis. The following volumes explore the interactions between biotechnology and the politics of the environment, the cultural context in which science is practised, and the broader social consequences that it may be expected to have. A general introduction maps key approaches and controversies, highlighting particular theoretical and methodological perspectives, and each individual volume is introduced by a specialist in the field.