Gender in a Transitional Era addresses a range of issues relevant in current gender and sexuality studies scholarship which span many disciplines. The contributors prioritize the critical thinking that continues to support the notion that we, as a society, still have a ways to go toward full gender equality in all spheres of life. This collection positions marginal voices at the center of complex gender issues in today's society. Broad thematic topic areas include parental identities, advice, and self-help; gender performances and role expectations in media; interacting within organizational and social spaces; and tensions and negotiations on politics, health, and feminisms. Though there is still much work to be done concerning an array of gender equality issues, scholars in this collection interrogate a transitional era of gender in which changes are evident, yet challenges persist.
Introduction: Gender in a Transitional Era, Amanda R. Martinez and Lucy J. Miller Section I: Parental Identities, Advice, and Self-Help Chapter 1: Are You Managing it All? Just Read This: Working Mothers Search for Work-Life Balance through Therapeutic Discourse and Self-Help Texts, Katherine J. Denker Chapter 2: Valuing Work, Valuing Family: A Comparison of "Balance" Discourse Targeting Mothers and Fathers, Elizabeth Fish Hatfield Chapter 3: Mommy Bloggers: Who They Are, What They Write About, and How They Are Shaping Motherhood in the Twenty-First Century, Brittney D. Lee and Lynne M. Webb Section II: Gender Performances and Role Expectations in Media Chapter 4: Masculinity and the American Dream in American Dreams, Art Herbig Chapter 5: Isn't that Bromantic? Rearticulating Male Emotionality and Homosocial Intimacy in Hollywood's BromCom, Ryan Castillo and Ashley N. Mack Chapter 6: Cattiness as Credibility in Neoliberalism, Krista McQueeney and Kim Hong Nguyen Section III: (Inter)Acting Within Organizational and Social Spaces Chapter 7: Sacralizing the Politics of Visibility: Coming Out, Spirituality, and Gay Clergy, Leland G. Spencer Chapter 8: Disciplining the Transgender Body: Transgender Microaggressions in a Transitional Era, Lucy J. Miller Chapter 9: Emerging Adults' Casual Sexual Involvements and the Ideal Worker Norm, Kendra Knight and Benjamin Wiedmaier Chapter 10: Computer-Mediated Leadership and Disciplinary Action: Using New Technology to Dismantle the Social Stereotypes and Gender Performances that Invade Face-to-Face Communication, Ashley K. Barrett and David W. Schlueter Section IV: Tensions and Negotiations on Politics, Health, & Feminism(s) Chapter 11: "War on Women": Democrats' Interpretations of Messages Regarding Women's Health at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Jillian A. Tullis and Margaret M. Quinlan Chapter 12: Savvy and Susceptible: Diverse American Women Discuss Beauty, Body Image, and Identity in Media, Amanda R. Martinez Chapter 13: Reclaiming Connections: Constructing a Web-of-Feminisms, Debbie S. Dougherty and Katherine J. Denker
