Skip to content
Register Sign in Wishlist
Female Power and Male Dominance

Female Power and Male Dominance
On the Origins of Sexual Inequality

  • Date Published: March 1982
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9780521280754

Paperback

Add to wishlist

Looking for an inspection copy?

This title is not currently available on inspection

Description
Product filter button
Description
Contents
Resources
Courses
About the Authors
  • In this book, Professor Peggy Sanday provides a ground-breaking examination of power and dominance in male-female relationships. How does the culturally approved interaction between the sexes originate? Why are women viewed as a necessary part of political, economic, and religious affairs in some societies but not in others? Why do some societies clothe sacred symbols of creative power in the guise of one sex and not of the other? Professor Sanday offers solutions to these cultural puzzles by using cross-cultural research on over 150 tribal societies. She systematically establishes the full range of variation in male and female power roles and then suggests a theoretical framework for explaining this variation. Rejecting the argument of universal female subordination, Professor Sanday argues that male dominance is not inherent in human relations but is a solution to various kinds of cultural strain. Those who are thought to embody, be in touch with, or control the creative forces of nature are perceived as powerful. In isolating the behavioural and symbolic mechanisms which institute male dominance, professor Sanday shows that a people's secular power roles are partly derived from ancient concepts of power, as exemplified by their origin myths. Power and dominance are further determined by a people's adaptation to their environment, social conflict, and emotional stress. This is illustrated through case studies of the effects of European colonialism, migration, and food stress, and supported by numerous statistical associations between sexual inequity and various cultural stresses.

    Customer reviews

    Not yet reviewed

    Be the first to review

    Review was not posted due to profanity

    ×

    , create a review

    (If you're not , sign out)

    Please enter the right captcha value
    Please enter a star rating.
    Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

    How do you rate this item?

    ×

    Product details

    • Date Published: March 1982
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9780521280754
    • length: 316 pages
    • dimensions: 225 x 154 x 23 mm
    • weight: 0.52kg
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    List of tables and figures
    Preface
    Introduction
    Part I. Plans for Sex-Role Behaviour:
    1. Scripts for female power
    2. Scripts for male dominance
    Part II. Constructing Sex-Role Plans:
    3. The environmental context of metaphors for sexual identities
    4. Plans for the sexual division of labor
    5. Blood, sex, and danger
    Part III. The Women's World:
    6. The bases for female political and economic power and authority
    7. The decline of the women's world: the effect of colonialism
    Part IV. The Dynamics of Male Dominance and Sexual Inequality:
    8. The bases for male dominance
    9. Why women?
    Part V. Conquerors of the Land Flowing with Milk and Honey: Epilogue
    Appendixes
    Notes
    Bibliography
    Index.

  • Author

    Peggy Reeves Sanday, University of Pennsylvania

Related Books

also by this author

Sorry, this resource is locked

Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org

Register Sign in
Please note that this file is password protected. You will be asked to input your password on the next screen.

» Proceed

You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.

Continue ×

Continue ×

Continue ×
warning icon

Turn stock notifications on?

You must be signed in to your Cambridge account to turn product stock notifications on or off.

Sign in Create a Cambridge account arrow icon
×

Find content that relates to you

Join us online

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read more Close

Are you sure you want to delete your account?

This cannot be undone.

Cancel

Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.

If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.

×
Please fill in the required fields in your feedback submission.
×