This book analyzes the challenges, benefits, coping strategies, problems, and accomplishments associated with the midlife experience of women. Ten chapters present the state of research (and correct longstanding myths) regarding significant aspects of middle-aged women's lives. The book bridges a major knowledge gap in the feminist-psychology literature. It balances optimism and realism about older women's lives - and younger women's futures.

Feminist psychology is vigorous, creative, and increasingly activist. This volume reflects women's diversity and incorporates strategies for social action and opportunities for political activism. It anticipates trends and developments in the psychology of women and feminist psychology. Chapters include those about women and self-esteem, leadership skills, welfare reform, spirituality, and domestic violence. The emphasis on social activism is unique. Unusual and cutting-edge research methodologies and techniques are also discussed.

This book will be of interest to clinicians and...

The women s movement of the 1960 s and 1970 s sparked an increased interest in gender research, which continues to the present time. Over the years, significant advances have been made, with improvements in methods, terminology, and breadth of content. The two-volume Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology brings these achievements into bold perspective by presenting both the current state of the field and an ambitious agenda for the future. The Handbook s major goals better communication between researchers, identification and addressing of knowledge gaps, elimination of bias in...

This book analyzes the challenges, benefits, coping strategies, problems, and accomplishments associated with the midlife experience of women. Ten chapters present the state of research (and correct longstanding myths) regarding significant aspects of middle-aged women's lives. The book bridges a major knowledge gap in the feminist-psychology literature. It balances optimism and realism about older women s lives and younger women s futures."

"Reproductive justice" is a relatively new term that underscores the fact that the existence of reproductive rights does not mean that women are able to exercise those rights. For women unable to exercise their rights for any number of reasons--a lack of available services where they live, lack of money or health insurance to pay for services, being forbidden by family members to seek services--the reality is they have no choices to make and possess little if any control over their own bodies, regardless of what the government states their "rights" are.

"Reproductive Justice: A Global...

These are paradoxical times to be an older woman. As individual older women take the stage as role models in the arts and the public sphere, female elders as a group are marginalized as dependent, declining and unimportant.

Women and Aging surveys the evolving sociopolitical landscape in an era still struggling with gender and age discrimination. This insightful volume recasts familiar concepts such as social roles, appearance, health, sexuality and transition through the related lenses of empowerment/restraint and quality of life/well-being for a deeper understanding of the...

Before any woman diets, douches, botoxes, reduces, reconstructs, or fills a prescription for antidepressants, statins, hormones, menstrual suppressants, or diet pills, she should read this book. Contesting common medical practice, the book addresses the many aspects of women's lives that have been targeted as "deficient" in order to support the billion-dollar profits of the medical-pharmacological industry and suggests alternatives to these "remedies."

The contributors--psychologists, sociologists, and health experts--are also gender experts and feminist scholars who recognize...