Putting Women in their Place critically assesses the ways in which gender norms and gender hierarchy shape political decision-making, economic development, financial disparities, as well as violence and conflict. By intertwining personal stories, policy analysis, and the latest research, author Hilary Matfess provides a compelling, approachable framework for interpreting global politics.
Hilary Matfess has done a real favor for the Women, Peace, and Security and/or Feminist Security Studies fields: she has penned a short, readable summary of the main topics for undergraduates and laypersons. This has been a frustrating lacuna for some time: while there are numerous books pitched at graduate-level courses, there really wasn t a smaller book one could assign as an adjunct text in, say, an undergraduate Intro to IR or IR Theory or Intro to National Security class. And there certainly wasn t an accessible book you could offer to your non-academic friends to help them understand WPS or FSS. Matfess compact, pithy volume covers all the essentials; women and national security; women and the national economy; women as political leaders and participants. It s all here, both easily digestible and inexpensive. Brava!
- Valerie M. Hudson, Texas A&M University
