Rethinking equality


Book Description

Although formally equal, relations between citizens are actually characterised by many and varied forms of inequality. Do contemporary theories of equality provide an adequate response to the inequalities that afflict contemporary societies? And what is the connection between theories of equality and the contemporary politics of citizenship? Accessible and comprehensive, Rethinking equality provides a clear, critical and very up-to-date account of the most important contemporary egalitarian theories. Unusually, it also relates these theories to contemporary political practice, assessing them in relation to the impact of neoliberalism on contemporary welfare states, and the shift from ‘social’ to ‘active’ forms of citizenship. As well as representing a significant intervention within academic debates on equality and citizenship, this book represents essential reading for students of contemporary political theory.




How Not to be a Hypocrite


Book Description

Can parents send their children to private schools and still live up to their ideals? Can you be a good citizen and a good parent? These difficult questions, and many more, are raised and answered in this insightful and thought-provoking book.




Biology at Work


Book Description

Does biology help explain why women, on average, earn less money than men? Is there any evolutionary basis for the scarcity of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies? According to Kingsley Browne, the answer may be yes. Biology at Work brings an evolutionary perspective to bear on issues of women in the workplace: the "glass ceiling," the "gender gap" in pay, sexual harassment, and occupational segregation. While acknowledging the role of discrimination and sexist socialization, Browne suggests that until we factor real biological differences between men and women into the equation, the explanation remains incomplete. Browne looks at behavioral differences between men and women as products of different evolutionary pressures facing them throughout human history. Womens biological investment in their offspring has led them to be on average more nurturing and risk averse, and to value relationships over competition. Men have been biologically rewarded, over human history, for displays of strength and skill, risk taking, and status acquisition. These behavioral differences have numerous workplace consequences. Not surprisingly, sex differences in the drive for status lead to sex differences in the achievement of status. Browne argues that decision makers should recognize that policies based on the assumption of a single androgynous human nature are unlikely to be successful. Simply removing barriers to inequality will not achieve equality, as women and men typically value different things in the workplace and will make different workplace choices based on their different preferences. Rather than simply putting forward the "nature" side of the debate, Browne suggests that dichotomies such as nature/nurture have impeded our understanding of the origins of human behavior. Through evolutionary biology we can understand not only how natural selection has created predispositions toward certain types of behavior but also how the social environment interacts with these predispositions to produce observed behavioral patterns.




Social Justice and Gender Equality


Book Description

Using country case studies from Latin America and Asia, this edited volume explores the effects of various development strategies and associated macroeconomic policies on women's well-being and progress towards gender equality.




Open Minds to Equality


Book Description

Educators are becoming increasingly concerned with more areas of discrimination and inequality that affects students. For example, as more immigrant students enter schools, understandings and skills for educating about language discrimination are needed. Similarly, as educators become more aware of the negative consequences of homophobic behavior on students, knowledge and approaches for dealing with homophobia in schools are called for. Open Minds to Equality deals with the expanding range of equity concerns. Membership in the largest association (National Association for Multicultural Educators) is growing by leaps and bounds. State-level associations are being started in these subjects all across the country. While focusing on discrimination based on race, gender, class, and age, the second edition also addresses bias based on religion, mental and physical ability, sexual orientation, and language. It provides educators an inclusive framework for thinking about diversity and responding practically to all these forms of difference in their classrooms. Activities in the book address both content and process. The content broadens the readersO awareness of the causes of inequality, particularly how differences are used to justify inequality. It encourages questions and the exploration of many sources of information and various points of view. The process is experiential, participatory, cooperative, and democratic. This book is extremely helpful for teachers, facilitators, staff development programs, and curriculum specialists. It is also appropriate for professionals in educational settings outside of schools such as camps, scouts, church groups, and youth agencies (all of which bought the first edition of this book). A Longwood Professional Book.




Rethinking Equality Projects in Law


Book Description

The concept of equality has been a key animating principle of modern feminism, and has been highly productive for feminist legal thought and feminist politics concerning law. Today however, given the failure to achieve material and psychic equality for women, feminists have come to challenge the usefulness of equality as a concept, a particular definition, or a basis for strategising. The papers in this collection reflect these concerns, primarily in the context of English-speaking, common law cultures. Collectively, the papers analyse a range of equality projects across a number of areas of public and private law, considering both competing conceptions of equality and alternatives to it. In taking stock across a century and a half and around the globe, the book illustrates the range of ways in which equality projects in law have been challenged by, and remain a challenge for, feminism.




Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality


Book Description

There has never been a more important time for students to understand sexism, gender, and sexuality--or to make schools nurturing places for all of us. The thought-provoking articles and curriculum in this life-changing book, will be invaluable to everyone who wants to address these issues in their classroom, school, home, and community.




Tax, Social Policy and Gender


Book Description

Gender inequality is profoundly unjust and in clear contradiction to the philosophy of the 'fair go'. In spite of some action by recent governments, Australia has fallen behind in policy and outcomes, even as the G20 group of nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund are paying renewed attention to gender inequality. Tax, Social Policy and Gender presents new research on entrenched gender inequality in a comparative framework of human rights and fiscal sustainability. Ground-breaking empirical studies examine unequal returns to education for women and men, decision-making about child care by fathers and mothers, the history and gendered effects of the income tax and family payments, and women in the top 1 per cent. Contributors demonstrate how Australia's tax, social security, child care, parental leave, education, work and retirement income policies intersect to compound gender inequality. Tax, Social Policy and Gender calls for a rethinking of equality and efficiency in tax and social policy and provides new policy solutions. It offers a pathway to achieve gender mainstreaming for women's economic security and the wellbeing of all Australians.




Redefining Equality


Book Description

The idea of equality is central to American civic life and one of the foundations of our national identity. Charges of unequal treatment continue to be voiced nationwide, in both the public discourse and the courts, yet there is no consensus on the meaning of equality. Competing views on this topic have erupted into a cultural conflict that looms large in contemporary American politics. In this collection of insightful essays, distinguished scholars in law, history, and social science present varying perspectives on this fundamental concept. Addressing the specific cases behind the headlines and the abstract arguments within the legal texts, the contributors look closely at everything from school bussing programs and affirmative action to the role of the courts and the politics of equality. Various examples and definitions of equality, culled from America's past and present, are summarized and examined in ways that illustrate how and why equality issues directly affect men and women of all races and backgrounds. Redefining Equality, a balanced array of assessments regarding our nation's historical and contemporary thoughts on equality and civil rights, will prove most informative to students of law, political science, and recent American history.




Technology and Social Inclusion


Book Description

Much of the discussion about new technologies and social equality has focused on the oversimplified notion of a "digital divide." Technology and Social Inclusion moves beyond the limited view of haves and have-nots to analyze the different forms of access to information and communication technologies. Drawing on theory from political science, economics, sociology, psychology, communications, education, and linguistics, the book examines the ways in which differing access to technology contributes to social and economic stratification or inclusion. The book takes a global perspective, presenting case studies from developed and developing countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, India, and the United States. A central premise is that, in today's society, the ability to access, adapt, and create knowledge using information and communication technologies is critical to social inclusion. This focus on social inclusion shifts the discussion of the "digital divide" from gaps to be overcome by providing equipment to social development challenges to be addressed through the effective integration of technology into communities, institutions, and societies. What is most important is not so much the physical availability of computers and the Internet but rather people's ability to make use of those technologies to engage in meaningful social practices.