This book offers a collection of articles that together develop asystematic understanding of family. Some examine cross-cultural and historicalvariations of family patterns, in order to highlight the social organization ofthings that otherwise seem "natural." The bulk of articles focus on the socialrelations of sexuality and intimacy, reproduction, parenting and livingtogether. Because these relations are typically gender relations, a concernabout gender inequality is constant throughout the book. Nearly three dozenscholars have contributed to this collection, and while most of the articleswere previously published, several are new.