Sexuality, society, and feminism /

Including essays by some of the most noted scholars in the field, Travis and White provide an excellent review of the physiological, interpersonal, and intrapersonal aspects of sexuality and its effects on scholarship. The first section examines assumptions regarding sexuality in scientific research and in the press, identifying a strong bias in favor of sociobiological explanations of gender differences that has overshadowed research on sociocultural explanations. A section on life course development looks at how current research models narrow the view of women's sexuality by focusing on how to contain sexual identity development in girls and ignoring cultural contexts and pregnancy and menopause. The third set of essays describes the almost unrecognized effects of such societal constructs as humor, beauty, heterosexism, and sexual assertiveness in narrowing the choices of both men and women. The last set of essays looks at sexual harassment and acquaintance rape, arguing that current constructs of sexuality lead to aggressive sexual behavior and skewed interpretation of such behavior. Particularly useful for the clinician hoping to better understand forces at work on clients, this volume provides a number of avenues for developing new constructs and methods for further scholarly research on gender. Recommended for graduate students through professionals. D. L. Loers Willamette University