Five themes are carried forward throughout the text:

• the social construction of gender differences;
• gendered inequalities;
• intersections of gender with other systems of privilege and oppression;
• a relational global perspective; and
• the necessity of working toward social justice.

Investigating Gender employs creative features that engage students in feminist sociological inquiry from the outset. "Learning Activities" help students link their own lives to broader gender patterns, conduct gender analyses of their own, and consider ways they can work toward social justice. "Research Examples" introduce students to specific studies and model how to critically engage with contemporary scholarship from a feminist sociological perspective. Boxed inserts on "The Power of One" and "The Power of Many" provide examples of individuals and groups that are working toward social justice. The text also cultivates students' global perspective by framing issues internationally and guiding them through data and analyses from four diverse countries outside the US: China, Kenya, Mexico, and Sweden.

Investigating Gender will appeal to instructors who teach courses in the Sociology of Gender, Women's Studies, and Gender Communication; it will be an invaluable introduction to students taking any courses in which gender is the focus or a significant component.