Gender on Campus: Issues for College Women

by Sharon Gmelch

Gender on Campus is the first book to combine solid analyses of the broad range of gender issues for women in college with realistic approaches to heighten awareness and alleviate problems. Written for students, the book first clarifies the concept of feminism and then examines gender dynamics in a variety of settings and contexts-from the classroom to the sports field and from language to social life. Sharon Gmelch probes sexism, racism, and homophobia on campus and surveys the special issues facing diverse women students. The book also addresses issues relating to body image and sexuality. Its final chapters analyze the role gender continues to play after college-in the media, workplace, and politics. After a thorough discussion of a topic, each chapter concludes with possibilities for action ("What You Can Do") as well as a selected bibliography of books, videos, and organizations that students can consult. Gender on Campus is an invaluable resource for students, parents, and administrators, as well as an excellent text for women's studies courses.

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a great resource, but has become very dated. While it served my purpose as I am doing historical research, for many experienced professionals working in the field some twenty years after this was published, the information will come across as commonplace - which makes sense as the book was aimed at the student population. What the book does, and does well, is place gender issues into a conversation about other topics such as the classroom, sports, language usage, disability, and a host of other overarching themes. While it does examine gender, it may appear at time to focus largely for women a logical process since the subtitle is "Issues for College Women", but the male population is equally affected as the text examines issues of how gender - as a spectrum - is viewed on campus including different sexual identities, etc.

The book would be helpful for anyone trying to understand and engage in a conversation of feminism, gender, and education on a very introductory level - as this is the target audience for the book, but it is sadly in need of an update - it could still very much benefit some campus discussions almost twenty years after this edition, but many of the statistics, examples, and so forth are in need of updating and further examination.

An important and strong book for those in the introductory process of discovering topics of gender, sexuality, and place within a college setting, but one experienced in discussion and engagement of these issues may find they want an update with deeper, further reaching analysis in modern times.