The Jessie Bernard Reader

Jessie Bernard was one of the foremost early feminist sociologists and public intellectuals in women’s studies. In The Jessie Bernard Reader, Michael S. Kimmel and Yasemin Besen have compiled her most intriguing and influential work on marriage, the family, sexuality, and changing women’s roles in the United States. Bernard’s pioneering works bridged the gap between academic social science and public advocacy for gender equality. Her books were landmarks in demarcating the effects of the “separation of spheres.” Among her most celebrated arguments was that couples experienced two different marriages, “his” and “hers”—and that his was better than hers. This volume will inspire a new generation of scholars, a generation that inherits the gains for which Bernard struggled her entire career.

Jessie Bernard was one of the foremost early feminist sociologists and public intellectuals in women’s studies. In The Jessie Bernard Reader, Michael S. Kimmel and Yasemin Besen have compiled her most intriguing and influential work on marriage, the family, sexuality, and changing women’s roles in the United States. Bernard’s pioneering works bridged the gap between academic social science and public advocacy for gender equality. Her books were landmarks in demarcating the effects of the “separation of spheres.” Among her most celebrated arguments was that couples experienced two different marriages, “his” and “hers”—and that his was better than hers. This volume will inspire a new generation of scholars, a generation that inherits the gains for which Bernard struggled her entire career.

Michael S. Kimmel is Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York Stony Brook. His recent books include The Gendered Society (2nd ed. 2003) and Manhood: A Cultural History (2nd ed. 2006), and he coedited The Encyclopedia on Men and Masculinities (2004) and Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities (2004). He is founder and editor of the Men and Masculinities journal and spokesperson for the National Organization for Men against Sexism (NOMAS).

Yasemin Besen received her Ph.D. in sociology from the State University of New York Stony Brook in 2005. She is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Montclair State University. Her publications focus on gender, work, and youth.