Review by Choice Review
Benokraitis's expressed intent was to presume no foreknowledge of sexism or its terms, and to offer the material in a manner particularly accessible to students. In practice, this has led to a reader that breaks no new ground. The basic definitions of blatant, subtle, and covert sexism have been offered in previous work by the editor and her colleagues, and are repeated in the introductory chapter. The additional 15 essays convey how subtle sexism (the continuing small acts of harassment and insidious undermining behaviors directed at women, or in rarer instances men, who transgress gender boundaries) operates in a variety of settings and with targets of diverse ethnicity and status. They are largely, though not exclusively, based on small samples and anecdotal evidence. This is a strength in that the essays are qualitatively rich illustrations of what sexism "feels like" in everyday life in contemporary institutions, be they colleges, corporations, the military, or day-care centers. It is also a weakness, if the intent is to offer a more explanatory analysis of when and how such behavior is more or less likely to occur. Accessible for readers at any level, but more useful in a classroom than in a research library. M. M. Ferree; University of Connecticut
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
