With each new edition of Thinking about Women, there is an opportunity to reflect
on changes in the status of women and men in society. News headlines and popular
books proclaim various changes—that “The End of Men” is near or that women need
to “Lean In” to find success in hitherto men’s worlds. Various commentators worry that
now boys, not girls, are falling behind in school. Some of these claims are misleading;
others hold a kernel of truth. A clear-headed assessment of how women’s and men’s
lives have changed requires a more vigorous assessment. That is one of the purposes of
this book.
Especially for the most likely readers—younger women and men enrolled in
college—the reality of gender in society may be clouded by the fact that women are
now a majority of college students, outnumbering men on most college campuses. The
current generation of readers can also see firsthand many of the changes in gender
that have unfolded in people’s lives. Families are now more diverse than ever; women
are found in some of the highest and most prestigious places in society. Perhaps even
within the time frame of this edition it is possible that the United States could have its
first woman President.
From a time not that long ago when women could not hold jobs as teachers if they
were pregnant; when women were excluded from most of the most prestigious col
leges in the country; when women could not have their own credit cards; when single
women were barred from legal access to birth control—times have changed indeed.
Yet, rates of violence against women—on campus, on the streets, and in the home—
remain frighteningly high. Sexualized stereotypes of women (and, increasingly, men)
are common in the popular media. Baby girls are still typically dressed in pink, baby
boys in blue. Despite a half century of laws providing equal pay for equal work, the
wage gap between women and men persists.