This article explores gender differences in three varieties of economic activities that supplement regular employment and housework: entrepreneurial moonlighting, self-provisioning, and casual exchanges with the members of other households. Drawing on data gathered through a random survey and interviews conducted with a white, rural, working-class population, gender differences were found in the content of these activities, their location, the time devoted to them, the degree to which they were delineated from other activities, and the opportunities they provided for sociability. These (...) differences are shown to have consequences for the internal gendered dynamics of the household and for the reinforcement of some kinds of male privilege. (shrink)

Based on interviews with 104 women and men, this article argues that marriage constrains while divorce liberates men and women to develop relationships, but they do so in different ways with different consequences for each. The separated and divorced women were better than the men or themselves while married at building and maintaining old, and intimate, relationships. In this sense, separation and divorce proved generous; marriage, greedy. However, because of the structure of their lives and the opportunities available to them, (...) separated and divorced women were not so good at developing new and casual ties. It was the structure of the men's lives that provided access to “instant networks.” Developed to alleviate loneliness, these groups provided a place in the wider community that men did not seek while married. (shrink)

Ideal as a basic text in undergraduate gender or social movements courses, or as a supplement in sociology of family classes. Uses compelling case materials (i.e. the struggle over the ERA, abortion rights, or the fight for gay and lesbian rights) to show how large-scale historical transformations are relevant to pressing social issues. The book also links gender with social movements in a way that shows how events of the 19th century are relevant to understanding the struggles for change today. (...) "I am very enthusiastic about this book, not only from the standpoint of my own course needs, but as someone interested in the significance of social movements for gender change." --Verta Taylor, Ohio State University. (shrink)