Myra Marx Ferree (born October 10, 1949) is a former professor of

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and director of the Center for German and European Studies at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, where she was also a member of the

Women's Studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

Program. In 2005 she was a Berlin Prize Fellow at the

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

and in 2004 the Maria-Jahoda Visiting Professor at the

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began in ...

. Ferree retired in 2018.

Life

Ferree attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

where she obtained a PhD in social psychology and social relations in 1976. She has written numerous articles about feminist organizations and politics in the US, Germany and internationally, as well as about

gender inequality Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empi ...

in families, the inclusion of gender in

sociological theory A sociological theory is a that intends to consider, analyze, and/or explain objects of social reality from a sociological perspective,Macionis, John and Linda M. Gerber. 2010. ''Sociology'' (7th Canadian ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson ...

and practice, and the intersections of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

with

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

and

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

. Her current work focuses on comparisons between US and German feminist movements and gender policy developments since the 1960s as well as the development of feminist identities in transnational women's organizations. She has been the recipient of the Jessie Bernard Award (sociology's highest honor for work in gender), vice-president of the American Sociological Association and deputy editor of its leading journal, ''

American Sociological Review The ''American Sociological Review'' is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of sociology. It is published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the American Sociological Association. It was established in 1936. The editors- ...

'', president of

Sociologists for Women in Society Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) is an international organization of social scientists—students, faculty, practitioners, and researchers—working together to improve the position of women within sociology and society in general. History ...

and recipient of its mentoring and feminist scholarship awards.

Works (selection)

*''Global Feminism: Transnational Women's Activism, Organizing, and Human Rights'', New York : New York University Press, 2006 (eds. with

Aili Mari Tripp Aili Mari Tripp (born 24 May 1958) is a Finnish and American political scientist, currently the Wangari Maathai Professor of Political Science and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Education and early career Tr ...

) * ''Shaping Abortion Discourse: Democracy and the Public Sphere in Germany and the United States'', Cambridge University Press, 2001 (eds. with William Anthony Gamson, Jürgen Gerhards, and Dieter Rucht) * ''Controversy and Coalition: The New Feminist Movement Across Four Decades of Change'', Routledge Press, 1995 (with Beth Hess) * ''Revisioning Gender'', Alta Mira Press, 1998 (eds. with

Judith Lorber Judith Lorber (born November 28, 1931) is Professor Emerita of Sociology and Women’s Studies at The CUNY Graduate Center and Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She is a foundational theorist of social construction of gender ...

and Beth Hess) * ''Feminist Organizations: Harvest of the New Women's Movement'', Temple University Press, 1995 (eds. with

Patricia Yancey Martin Patricia Yancey Martin is an American sociologist. She is the Daisy Parker Flory Professor of Sociology Emerita at Florida State University. Education Martin was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta her freshman year at University of Alabama i ...

)

References

External links

Myra Marx Ferree
at University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of Sociology {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferree, Myra Marx 1949 births Living people Gender studies academics American women sociologists Postmodern feminists University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni