Developments in the sociology of gender and women's studies

The analysis of gender relations has been developing in Britain since the mid-1970s and is now an established area within British sociology. This chapter focuses on developments within sociology in the UK which have been variously called the sociology of gender, women's studies, gender studies or feminist research. Women's studies/gender studies/feminist research refers to an inter-disciplinary field of study about gender relations and the position and representation of women; the sociology of gender is that part of this field which is within sociology. While the focus in this chapter is work written in the UK, the international debates are an integral part of local developments. Women's studies have developed as an international field of study with much interchange of ideas and materials between different countries. The US, in particular, has been the source of many influential ideas, though the increasing integration of the UK into the EU has also generated new questions and perspectives.