A cross-cultural study of gender roles and relationships, this book presents a synthesis of a wide range of ethnographic and historical data concerning the roles of women and men in wide range of different kinds of societies--with a focus on both material conditions and ideological valuations that affect and reflect cultural models of gender.First looks at the impact of material conditions on gender roles: Foragers; Farmers; Agricultural States; Industrial Economy: The United States; and Women and Global Economic Development. Then explores ideological constraints on gender constructs: Gender and the Body; Gender and Religion; Gender and Language.For anyone interested in gender roles from an anthropological, sociological, and psychological perspective.