Women and the Politics of Culture: Studies in the Sexual Economy

From the back cover: "An introduction to Women's Studies that combines classic readings and commentary. What sets this text apart is its organizing concept of the Sexual Economy - 'the pattern and products of oppressive sexual arrangements endured by women now and in the past.' The authors use this structure to examine how and why women of different race, class, and sexual preference have experienced oppression across nationalities, cultures, and centuries. They identify the sources, trace the development, and analyze the effects of the sexual economy on women's self-concept, quality of their lives, and ability to affect changes in the society around them. While recognizing the importance of myth and psychological dynamics in human development, the authors also argue that the sexual economy is inseperable from the historical struggle for control of the world's wealth and the exercise of power built on that wealth."