Nickie Charles

This book explores the gendered effects of devolution and its ramifications in terms of new institutionalism, social movement theory and ideas of social justice and political citizenship. The authors expand upon research from central and local government in Wales and situate it in a wider context to develop an innovative analytical approach that operates at the borders of sociology and political science. It contributes to debates about how political processes at different levels of government and within civil society are gendered and poses a challenge to masculinist political cultures by seeking to revitalise political citizenship in democratic societies.

This book explores the gendered effects of devolution and its ramifications in terms of new institutionalism, social movement theory and ideas of social justice and political citizenship. The authors expand upon research from central and local government in Wales and situate it in a wider context to develop an innovative analytical approach that operates at the borders of sociology and political science. It contributes to debates about how political processes at different levels of government and within civil society are gendered and poses a challenge to masculinist political cultures by seeking to revitalise political citizenship in democratic societies.

This collection examines human-animal relations and the different ways in which they can be understood, exploring animal rights and animal welfare; whether and under what circumstances animals are regarded as social actors with agency; media representations of human-animal relations; and the relation between animals and national identity.

This collection examines human-animal relations and the different ways in which they can be understood, exploring animal rights and animal welfare; whether and under what circumstances animals are regarded as social actors with agency; media representations of human-animal relations; and the relation between animals and national identity.

This book addresses the complexity of family change. It draws on evidence from two linked studies, one carried out in the 1960s and the other in the early years of the 21st century, to analyse the specific ways in which family lives have changed and how they have been affected by the major structural and cultural changes of the second half of the twentieth century. The book shows that, while there has undeniably been change, there is a surprising degree of continuity in family practices. It casts doubt on claims that families have been subject to a process of dramatic change and provides an alternative account which is based on careful analysis of empirical data. The book presents a unique opportunity to chart the nature of social change in a particular locality over the last 50 years; includes discussions of social and cultural variations in family life, focusing on younger as well as older generations; explores not only what happens within family-households but also what happens within networks of kin across different households and shows the way changing patterns of employment affect kinship networks and how geographical mobility co-exists with the maintenance of strong kinship ties. The findings will be of interest to students of sociology, social anthropology, social policy, women's studies, gender studies and human geography at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Nickie Charles discusses theoretical developments in the sociological study of gender, providing an overview of how conceptual shifts have affected not only what is studied, which is itself changing, but also how it is studied and the questions that are asked. The empirical areas that provide the focus of the book are paid employment, domestic labour, parenting, education, the 'crisis' of masculinity, sexuality, and politics. Although the book is centrally concerned with gender, attention is paid to other bases of inequality and social identities such as class, ethnicity, and sexuality. Throughout, the author engages with contemporary debates about the significance of changes in gender relations, showing that while there has been very real change in some areas of social life, in others there has been remarkable continuity. Finally, gender relations in Britain are situated in international context and linked to global social and economic processes and divisions of labour. This important new study of gender in modern Britain provides a succinct and clearly written textbook for students on gender studies, women's studies, and sociology of gender courses.