Gender Matters: Truths and Consequences

Gender Matters: Truth and Consequences employs an intersectional feminist approach to introduce students to the various ways feminist thinkers discuss gender, sexuality, sex, and more. It encourages them to consider how these views may be manifested in their everyday surroundings from the classroom to the coffee shop. 

The curated readings are organized into three sections addressing gender theory, play and gender studies, and the unavoidable consequences of gender itself. Featuring the writing of Simone de Beauvoir, bell hooks, Gloria Anzaldua, and other seminal figures, the anthology tackles issues such as the patriarchal system, the meaning of being gendered, pornography, and the treatment of transgender and intersexed individuals. 

Gender Matters encourages readers to challenge the “truth” of gender-related definitions, the ways in which people play into these truths, and the consequences of passively accepting them. Reflection activities in each chapter create the opportunity for students to deeply consider how all of these issues and topics play out in their own lives. Gender Matters is ideal for classes in gender studies, sociology, and gender issues.

Sarah M. Pitcher earned both her master's degree and her Ph.D. in sociology at Syracuse University in New York. A professor of sociology at City College in San Diego, Dr. Pitcher regularly teaches classes in introductory sociology, gender studies, social problems, sociological theory, and globalization and social change, with the understanding that sociology begins and ends with experience. Throughout her over 20 years of teaching, she has worked to make sociology not only fun and engaging for students, but also a form of active critical thought about our social world. In addition to her work in the classroom, she is an honors program advisor, as well as the advisor to the Visionary Feminists Club.