Women: Roles and Status in Eight Countries.

Abstract

Of these four books, three are written or edited by feminists and aim to forward the understanding of gender roles in sociological terms. To their writers it is axiomatic that understanding should be the prelude to change towards sex equality in all spheres. In this respect the odd one out is Pitt-Rivers' work, which betrays no hint of feminist enthusiasms yet contributes as much to our understanding as the others. These latter vary greatly in the scope of material they handle, and the degree of attachment to a particular theoretical viewpoint. They also inevitably vary in coherence, since only one, Hamilton's, is by a single hand; the other two are from groups of authors whose efforts have enjoyed more or less of editorial direction. The books edited by Alice Schlegel, and by Giele and Smock, follow the established format of diverse contributions to the study of gender roles rather loosely linked to a more theoretical, or at least taxonomic, introduction and conclusion by the editors. Schlegel's book concentrates on studies of small-scale colonial or post-colonial societies, while Giele and Smock bring together material on 8 large states in the modern world, all economically developed or rapidly developing. A great deal of information on the asymmetry of gender roles is provided, but its presentation in this way has disadvantages from the point of view of advance in theoretical understanding. The instances seem to have been chosen for interest and variety rather than for any strict application of comparative method. (And clearly the contributors have not been requested to follow any uniform way of presenting or analysing their data.) Yet some of the material might be used in testing particular middle-range theories, for instance O'Brien on female husbands among the Southern Bantu for theories of how political power may be institutionalized for women, essays by Lewis (in Schlegel) and Smock (in Giele and Smock) for the gender role