Alison Phipps

Alison Phipps is Director of Gender Studies and Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on the politics of women's bodies, in particular debates in the areas of violence, sexualities and health. Her recent book 'The Politics of the Body: Gender in a Neoliberal and Neoconservative Age' (Polity Press) explored the difficulties of positioning for present-day feminisms when faced with a choice between neoconservative moralism and regulation or a neoliberal emphasis on individuality and personal choice. Chapters focused on current debates in the areas of sexual violence, sex work, gender and Islam, and childbirth and breastfeeding.

Alison also has an interest in 'lad cultures' amongst young people, and with Isabel Young co-authored the 2013 NUS report 'That's What She Said'. She has written a number of articles on this issue in the media, and was recently a guest on 'Thinking Allowed' on Radio 4 discussing the linkages between laddish practices of sexual audit and the marketisation of higher education. Phipps and Young are both currently involved in the NUS national strategy team around 'lad cultures' in higher education.