Inferior
How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story
Ratings14
Average rating4.1
15
How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story
Ratings14
Average rating4.1
For hundreds of years it was common sense: women were the inferior sex. Their bodies were weaker, their minds feebler, their role subservient. Science has continued to tell us that men and women are fundamentally different. But a huge wave of research is now revealing that women are as strong, powerful, strategic, and smart as anyone else. Saini takes readers on a journey to uncover science's failure to understand women and to show how women's bodies and minds are finally being rediscovered.
Reviews with the most likes.
I love nonfiction that reads like fiction. I'm not a fan of textbooks however. I was hoping for the NTRLF, but this book felt more like a textbook.
The information was solid. I simply like books that are a bit more energetic.
An exceptional and well overdue book. A must read for anyone concerned with how the world works and the influence of science on how we view society works.
We know how easily scientific studies can be skewed by biased researchers. Consequently centuries of gender studies conducted by male scientists got a few things wrong. Analogously to Cordelia Fine's [b:Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference 8031168 Delusions of Gender How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference Cordelia Fine https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348833681s/8031168.jpg 12635310] Saini's book sets out to rigorously and thoroughly debunk some of those myths. With a heavier focus on biology and anthropology than Fine, Inferior looks at influential and controversial studies, that ultimately ask if patriotism is hard-wired into our biology.
This is the second book in my journey to come to terms with the world that women live in - a world that is starkly different to my own. The first, Invisible Women, made me angry. This one was more subtle. I had to work a little harder to understand what Saini was driving at. Each concept is introduced with both sides of the story. First, the evidence for one particular hypothesis, then the evidence to the contrary. To begin with, this annoyed me. It was harder for me to synthesise what I should use to modify my own beliefs. Now, after finishing the book, I hold the opposite opinion. The approach taken by Saini is a genius method that reveals the complexity and genuine controversy within the scientific community. The answers aren't clear cut, they are nuanced and detailed. Investing the extra effort to understand this material is a rewarding experience that not only left me angry this time, but upset, sick and thoughtful in close to equal measures.
