The book provides theoretical and empirical tools to explore some of the questions which lie at the heart of current debates around researching gender. It considers issues such as how can gender be sociologically understood? Do different methodological approaches operate with different conceptualizations of gender? In what ways can a researcher's own gender facilitate and hinder the research process? Should men and women's gender identity be researched differently? What difficulties is a researcher likely to face when researching a different gender to their own?

These theoretical engagements are linked to case-study explorations around issues which have been concerning popular and expert attention in recent years in contemporary societies.

Aimed at an upper-level student audience this book combines a critical methodological engagement with an exploration of contemporary dilemmas related to researching gender, to help address the current dominance of highly theoretical work in this area and render the complex but important debates emerging in this area more accessible for students.