The Social identity of women Book

The Social Identity of Women makes a significant contribution to theory about social identity and the psychology of women. It takes as its starting point Henri Tajfel's social identity theory, developed to analyse social change in intergroup relations. The book brings this theory out of the laboratory and into the historical and contemporary context of women's lives. It evaluates the theory's usefulness for understanding intergroup relations between the sexes and the ways in which women conceptualize their gender. A key theme to emerge is the inadequacy of concepts of women as a unified social group. Womanhood has many faces: the contributors explore women's different identities in a range of contexts, for example, as first-time mothers, as occupants of particular work roles, as feminists. The studies highlight the influence of history, ideology, lifespan development and the emotions on group identification. They introduce a rich repertoire of research methods for exploring more fully women's identities, and their relationships with others. The range of methods and approaches represented in the book make it an important resource for students and lecturers in social psychology, social theory, the psychology of women and women's studies.