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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong in Books

Nov 12, 2017

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong

Angela Saini | 2017 | Gender Studies, Science & Mathematics

10.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

A superior book debunking gender stereotypes in the scientific community

There are times when a book comes along that is perfectly timed for the zeitgeist and that is true of Angela Saini's Inferior - How Science Got Women Wrong. Most of the educational and scientific community would protest their absolute lack of gender bias - but the fact remains that the scientific establishment is still predominantly run by men even if in some disciplines there are more female students than male. And some scientists tell us that there is evidence to underline why this is the natural order, due to brain differences between males and females.

Saini systemically pulls this assertion apart, showing how many of the apparent brain differences - and even physical modification of the brain - can be the result of cultural influences. She highlights that although there maybe some differences, they are significantly smaller between male to female, and that each individual should be looked at on a case by case basis.

After a shocking opening demonstrating just how recently women's brains were genuinely considered inferior - Saini quotes Darwin in a letter making it clear that even as a leading evolutionist, he also believed this to be the situation - which is why it's hardly surprising research continues to be skewed.

We also see remarkable bias in the development of anthropological ideas pushing through to the evolutionary field, discussing how men had been seen as hunter gatherers - though this clearly isn't the case in many closed societies. She speaks.to leading scientists who have studied women's roles in tribes across China, South America and Africa, who completely turn this theory on its head.

What she shows is that any interpretation can be possible if you have an agenda, whether consciously or unconsciously, hence research needs to be scrutinised analytically from every perspective. A fascinating and essential read.