Women across cultures: a global perspective

1. Introduction to the cross-cultural study of women's issues Cross-cultural similarities Cross-cultural differences The study of global women : rich and rewarding, shocking and disturbing Respecting diversity and avoiding ethnocentrism Women's rights as human rights A cautionary word Overview of the book Study questions Discussion questions

2. Women's low status and power Males' greater economic power Males' greater political power Males' higher status Females as property Physical violence against women Domestic violence Dowry death Honor killing Sexual violence and exploitation Rape War rape Prostitution Explaining women's low status and power Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

3. Reproductive rights Reproductive control as a symptom of women's low status Lack of reproductive control perpetuates women's low status Reproductive control impacts women's health Maternal mortality and pregnancy-related disability Contraceptives and women's health Female genital mutilation HIV/AIDS The agents that control women's reproductive choice Male control of women's reproductive choice Government control of women's reproductive choice The global economy and women's reproductive choice Religious organizations' control of women's reproductive choice Abortion Legal abortion Reducing abortions : contraceptives and sex education Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

4. Lesbians in cross-cultural perspective The incidence of lesbianism Lesbian invisibility Factors contributing to lesbian invisibility Employment Family Children Safety Mental health Community and credibility The perception of lesbians as dangerous Lesbian feminism Lesbian responses to invisibility and heterosexism Embracing the lesbian label Lesbian communities and organizations Recovering lesbian herstory Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

5. Women's work Women's work and our study of women across cultures Women's unpaid labor Women's paid labor The gender pay gap Gender job segregation Part-time workers Gender wage discrimination Remedies to the gender pay gap Cross-cultural variation in the gender pay gap The glass ceiling Gender stereotypes Organizational practices Responsibilities to home and family State maternity leave and child-care policies Sexual harassment Defining sexual harassment Prevalence of sexual harassment Causes of sexual harassment Sexual harassment interventions Self-employed women Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

6. Women and development Background Development terminology Colonial history Conditions in developing nations Feminist concerns with the development process Women in development approach (WID) Income-generating projects Labor saving technologies Women's access to development resources Gender and development approach (GAD) GAD as envisioned by southern hemisphere feminists Development agencies and GAD Women, the environment, and sustainable development Sustainability basics Effects of environmental degradation on women The role of women in sustainable development Women and environmental activism Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

7. Women and globalization The effects of globalization on women Women's work in the transnational factory The global economy and women's migration Domestic service Mail-order brides Women's work in the global sex trade Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

8. Women and religion Common feminist critiques of religion Masculine God language Sexism in religious texts Sex-segregated religious practices Reformist efforts in feminist theology Women and the world's major religions Hinduism Buddhism Islam Judaism Christianity Revolutionary feminist theology Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

9. Women in politics Women voters, legislators, and cabinet members Voting Parliaments, congresses, and cabinets Barriers to women's presence in formal politics Female heads of state Paths to power Political surrogate path to power Political insider/climber path to power Political outsider path to power Leadership style Advocacy of women's issues Role of gender in the perception of female world leaders Increasing women's participation in formal politics Women in informal politics : social and protest movements Women's action around economic issues Women's action around nationalist and racial/ethnic issues Women's action around humanistic/nurturing issues Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

10. Gender equality movements Forces operating against women's activism Early assumptions about women's movements Diversity in use of the feminist label Different strands of women's movements The journey to gender equality differs cross-culturally Women's movements in response to different issues Effect of local political and economic conditions Women's movements arising from class struggles Women's movements in tandem with nationalist struggles Nationalist struggles may not enhance gender equality Gender equality is often subordinated to other issues The state and feminism State feminism Debate about the role of the state Examples of state feminism China Kenya Norway Conclusion Study questions Discussion questions and activities Activist Websites of interest Informational Websites of interest Action opportunities

11. Women's rights as human rights

Women's rights as human rights

The United Nations

General description

The UN's contribution to gender equality

The UN's World Women's Conferences

Some important UN conventions and treaties regarding women's rights

Challenges to a women's human rights agenda

Moving from visibility to accountability

Bringing women's rights into mainstream human rights

Respecting cultural diversity while promoting universal human rights

Conclusion

Study questions

Discussion questions and activities

Activist Websites of interest

Informational Websites of interest

Action opportunities.