Maxine Deirdre Molyneux (born 24 May 1948 in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

) is a British sociologist whose work focuses on the

women's movement The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's ...

. That women's interests and gender interests are different categories is the discovery for which Maxine Molyneux is most frequently cited. Her focus is women's movements, and her central question is how they and the state influence each other. Interests and law are the categories under which she examines the changeable and shapeable relationship of the gender order and the state. She wants to bring back the state and the political subject into the thinking on modernisation, democratisation and development. Molyneux studied sociology at the University of Essex and is now Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Her research, as well the influential distinction between gender needs and interests, deals with such subjects as society and development, poverty and social inequality, and gender and politics in Latin America. She is also a consultant to several United Nations organisations, as well as to

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...

and other

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s. As co-founder in 1979 of the noted magazine ''

Feminist Review ''Feminist Review'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal with a focus on exploring gender in its multiple forms and interrelationships. The journal was established in 1979. It is published by SAGE Publishing and is edited by a collective. ...

'' and an editor of the magazine ''

Economy and Society ''Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology'' (1921; ; or simply ''Economy and Society'') is a book by political economist and sociologist Max Weber, published posthumously in Germany by his wife Marianne. Alongside ''The Prot ...

'', she is involved in the further development of debates on theory. Molyneux was appointed

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to international development and UK/Latin America relations. Molyneux was married to Fred Halliday, with whom she had a son, Alex.

Publications

Molyneux has written extensively in the fields of political sociology and

gender and development ''Gender & Development'' is a peer-reviewed journal published triannually by Routledge and Oxfam to provide "promote, inspire, and support development policy and practice." The editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor ...

studies. She is the author among others of: * ''Women's Movements in International Perspective'' (ILAS/Palgrave) 2000 * ''Change and Continuity in Social Protection in Latin America:Mothers at the Service of the State?'' (UNRISD) 2007 She has co-authored: * ''Doing the Rights Thing'' (with Sian Lazar)(ITDG) 2003 * ''The Ethiopian Revolution'' NLB/Verso 1980 (with Fred Halliday) She is co-editor of: * ''Hidden Histories of Gender and the State in Latin America'' (2000) Duke UP * ''Gender Justice, Development and Rights'' 2003 (OUP) * ''Gender and Democracy in Latin America'' (Palgrave 2002) * ''The Politics of Rights: Dilemmas of Feminist Praxis'' (2009)

References

External links

Molyneux's UCL homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Molyneux, Maxine 1948 births Latin Americanists Living people British feminists British sociologists British women sociologists Pakistani feminists Pakistani sociologists Pakistani women sociologists Academics of University College London Fellows of the British Academy Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George