Finding voice within the gender order

Abstract

There are many different viewpoints and discourses that pay claim to understanding the nature of gender. Few topics have generated as much interest within the social sciences, as well as in the popular media. In the spirit of Kurt Lewin, we know that the theories we hold have practical implications for how we live and act. For this reason, it is useful to explore the background of these theoretical foundations as a way to introduce the articles in this issue and relate them to the ongoing gender debates in organizational and social science. After briefly summarizing the essentialist view, sex role theory, and social constructionist theory, I will summarize the thrust of the four articles in this journal, frame them within the context of the constructionist perspective, and suggest how they add to this important debate.