The complexities of gender — still complex

02May08

A new book by developmental psychologist Susan Pinker, The Sexual Paradox: Troubled Boys, Gifted Girls and the Real Difference Between the Sexes, probably won’t settle any arguments, but it does provide a lot of information for those interested in the issues. The Telegraph reviewer feels that some of the statistics quoted don’t actually prove anything one way or the other about gender and her final impression she came away with was that the book is more journalistic than scientific.

“Why is it that some boys who fail at school or university - Albert Einstein and Bill Gates come to mind - go on to forge spectacular careers while many talented girls never reach the top of the career ladder? Here, in a nutshell, is the paradox explored in the developmental psychologist Susan Pinker’s new book.

“It is time, says Pinker, to stop thinking of men as the ‘default’ setting and women as variants of the norm, when advances in brain imaging and genetic mapping confirm fundamental genetic, neurological and psychological differences between the two sexes.”

Filed under: Books   |  
Tags: book review, gender, Susan Pinker