Gender, Culture, and Power

This is a further title in the series Critical Issues in New Zealand Society. Sex, race, and class are the major lines of exclusion and exploitation in New Zealand society. But how do they relate together? Why do they persist? In this book, the authors explore the notion that New Zealand is a 'gendered culture', a culture in which the structures of masculinity and femininity are central to the formation of society as a whole. However, they argue that the oppression of women should not be seen as the most fundamental dynamic of our society. Sex inequalities are not more important than other inequalities, nor should political action be concentrated solely on the struggle between the sexes. Rather, they argue that the gendered culture should be challenged because it enables the hierarchies of sex, race, and class to be maintained.