To what extent does gender influence our behavior, thoughts, and feelings? How do "nature" and "nurture" interact to shape our identities as female or male? And what are the effects of gender on the ways we are perceived and treated by others? The second edition of this important text and reference confronts the central questions pertaining to gender differences and similarities across the lifespan. Rather than focusing on a particular viewpoint, the volume is carefully designed to foster comparison among different lines of psychological research and provide a broad survey of cutting-edge work in the field.

Alice H. Eagly, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and faculty fellow in the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. Dr. Eagly is particularly known for her research on the psychology of gender and the psychology of attitudes. She has received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Donald Campbell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Social Psychology from the Society for Social and Personality Psychology.

Anne E. Beall, PhD, is President of Beall Research and Training, a firm that applies principles and findings from psychology to the business world. Dr. Beall conducts training seminars on gender, nonverbal communication, persuasion, sales, and detecting deception. She also conducts marketing research on a variety of strategic business issues. She has held positions at The Boston Consulting Group and National Analysts, and has written book chapters and articles about emotional expression, consumer psychology, and marketing.

Robert J. Sternberg, PhD, is IBM Professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University. He has published over 950 books, articles, and book chapters, and was the 2003 President of the American Psychological Association.