Welcome
Defining Gender: Gender is fluid and so are definitions. This page serves as an introduction to Women and Gender studies and topics.
Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.
The World Health Organization provides more:
Gender Expression - The physical manifestation of one’s gender identity through clothing, hairstyle, voice, body shape, etc. (typically referred to as masculine or feminine). Many transgender people seek to make their gender expression (how they look) match their gender identity (who they are), rather than their sex assigned at birth. Someone with a gender nonconforming gender expression may or may not be transgender.
Gender Identity - One’s internal sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or other gender(s). Everyone has a gender identity, including you. For transgender people, their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity are not necessarily the same.
Find more information:
Research
These tabs offer a small selection of resources on women and gender. For more recommendations see this list of more resources or explore the Snell Library website.
Gender Outlaws: the next generation by
In the 15 years since the release of Gender Outlaw, Kate Bornstein's groundbreaking challenge to gender ideology, transgender narratives have made their way from the margins to the mainstream and back again. Today's transgenders and other sex/gender radicals are writing a drastically new world into being. In Gender Outlaws, Bornstein, together with writer, raconteur, and theater artist S. Bear Bergman, collects and contextualizes the work of this generation's trans and genderqueer forward thinkers -- new voices from the stage, on the streets, in the workplace, in the bedroom, and on the pages and websites of the world's most respected mainstream news sources. Gender Outlaws includes essays, commentary, comic art, and conversations from a diverse group of trans-spectrum people who live and believe in barrier-breaking lives.
Call Number: PrintISBN: 9781580053082Publication Date: 2010-08-31
Hood feminism : notes from the women that a movement forgot by
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020 "If Hood Feminism is a searing indictment of mainstream feminism, it is also an invitation. . . . [Kendall] offers guidance for how we can all do better."--NPR "A rousing call to action for today's feminists. It should be required reading for everyone."--Gabrielle Union, author of We're Going to Need More Wine A potent and electrifying critique of today's feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in Black feminism Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord, and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others? In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780525560555Publication Date: 2020-02-25
Bad Feminist: essays by
From the author of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, the New York Times Bestseller, Best Book of the Year at NPR, the Boston Globe, Newsweek, and many more, and instant classic A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay. "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink--all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue." In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better, coming from one of our most interesting and important cultural critics.
Call Number: PrintISBN: 9780062282712Publication Date: 2014-08-05
Databases (include journals, magazines)
- LGBT Magazine Archive This link opens in a new windowFull text of 26 magazines, chiefly from the US, covering LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) interests. Covers more than six decades of the history and culture of the LGBT community.
- Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new windowComplete archive of consumer magazines aimed at female readership, includes Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, Ladies’ Home Journal and more. Covers a multitude of 19th and 20th century aspects of history and culture, including child education and development, fashion, design, health, and psychology.
- GenderWatch (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowFull articles from women's studies magazines and newsletters (including some that are hard to find in print), as well as some scholarly journals. Some articles go back to the 1970's.
A few journal options
- Ada: a journal of gender, new media, and technologyFree journal, first issue in 2012
- Gender and Society: journal of the sociologists for women in societyLicensed journal, first issue 1987
Video
- 'Ask Me': What LGBTQ Students Want Their Professors to KnowFrom Chronicle of Higher Education-on YouTube
- Women and Social Movements (Alexander Street) This link opens in a new windowThe site includes primary source collections pertaining to Women and Social Movements in the United States with an emphasis on the progressive era and movements such as suffrage, abolition, and temperance.
Podcasts
- 11 Entertaining Gender Equality Podcasts to Listen to Right NowFrom Global Citizen Sep. 2021
A few examples
- Gender StoriesHost Alex Iantaffi
invites guests from across the world to discuss their gender identity and its effect on their life. - Woman's HourBBC Radio
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.
Looking for a topic?
Consider one of these:
- Abortion rights
- Gender stereotypes
- Glass ceiling
- Women in non-traditional roles
- Women suffrage
- Radical feminism
Northeastern & Beyond Resources
Interested in exploring more? Check out different organizations available at Northeastern University.
Student Organizations: