The last century brought tremendous changes in the roles of men and women—socially, economically, and politically. The essays in this chapter examine the ways that gender influences the ways we interact with our world and with one another. Use the questions below, the activities, and Web destinations for this chapter to examine the many ways in which gender issues affect our lives.

• How have changing gender roles in the workplace over the last 30 years affected personal and social relationships between men and women?
• Why is adolescence a particularly difficult time for teenagers dealing with gender-based issues?
• How does pop culture affect our impressions of what it means to be male and female?
• What traditional ideas do we retain about men and women’s gender roles?
• How should we respond to the cultural view of women as easy targets for violence?
• In an effort to address the educational needs of girls, have we neglected the equally compelling needs of boys in the classroom?
• Do gender differences create problems in our ability to communicate with each other?

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