Recommendations anyone?

Question

What are some good studies or books I can read to learn about Feminism and gender equality? Preferabley non-biased although I realize that might be a bit hard to find.

Answer 1

If you're truly interested, read "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan and follow it up with her book, "The Second Stage" to understand the direction she thought feminism should have gone.  Also read "Save the Males" by Kathleen Parker.

Answer 2

one thing you could study is how badly mistreated Hillary clinton was by the democrat party in the recent election.

She was the one with experience, and with the better policies, and she was snubbed cause she was a woman, in favor of a man who is a new comer, with no experience, And who was a member of the most do nothing state legislature in the country.  Just cause he looks good.

Doesn't mean he knows anything about leading.

Hillary was screwed,  That's a study I'd like to figure out how it happened.  Could it be that the democrat party is really that Sexist.

Sure looks that way.

Answer 3

I think that Female Chauvinist Pigs is obviously biased, but very intelligent and well-written. Most things I can think of were made by very emotional people--gender issues are very subjective and it's hard to find things that don't put a lot of personal insight into them. Sorry, I'm probably not helping...  

Answer 4

Here's a good one from many Women's Studies courses taught throughout academia:

"Men are the enemies of women" – Professor Ann Oakley (1984) in 'Taking It Like a Woman'.

Answer 5

There's a pretty good one in the "Opposing Viewpoints" series on Feminism, you probably won't find it in a book store but definitely in a library, technically I think it's a reference work.  It has essays about many different feminist issues from feminists on the pro side and "anti" feminists on the con side (they aren't the Rush Limbaugh kind of anti's, much more intelligent)

Other objective books would probably be textbook style books which will give historical accuracy and fact as opposed to opinion.  Unfortunately most gender studies books that you'll find at Barnes and Noble are going to be editorial style opinion pieces.

Answer 6

Other users have made some excellent non-fiction recommendations.  If you enjoy taking your study into the world of fiction, here are a couple of suggestions:  

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood is an interesting study in gender politics.  

The novels of Tom Robbins all contain strong female lead characters, and Robbins himself is a self-proclaimed feminist of the 70's era.

Beware of postmodern works and the critics of such works.  All seem to be excessively reactionary.

Answer 7

"Feminism from Margin to Center-a Criticism of Second Wave Feminism" by bell hooks.

She points out the major flaws in second wave feminism (like ignoring race and social class as a factor in gender oppression and how people define their oppression), and uses that as a springboard to outline a form of feminist praxis that will include men and actually fight gender oppression in all of it's forms as well as dealing with the issue of intersecting identities within political movements.

Answer 8

I don't read books about feminism, except for maybe Jane Austen.