Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story
by Saini, Angela
Published: May 30, 2017
Read: March 23, 2018
Review
This book was written with intention, scientifically counter all the science casting women as the inferior sex. Despite the narrow focus, the details are respectably researched and definitely well written offering the opposing opinions with all their imperfections and clashing them with the old theories in their most compelling form. All the arguments were clear and never contrived. However, it's clear the science and contradicting evidence is relatively unsettled and thus left up to interpretation. In addition, the book is progressive only against conservative viewpoints and only advanced a little new ground in my eyes. Though I did find the evolutionary theory of mate guarding leading to patriarchy to be an interesting perspective. Overall, a good read for a feminist or someone gathering evidence for either men>women or women>men.
Notes
#Book Chapter 1
Are women actually physically and mentally inferior?
Common trend is women in education equal but taper off in higher levels. 25% of researchers are women, science tell us a lot about women and men and we trust. Men can commit more time because child care. Female and men both discriminate against women joe and jane. 2015, Males are more likely to be named high achievers yet not reality. Male doctoral students publish more than 1 paper than women. Professors harass females. At least partially because web of pressures, difference. Culture changes # of researchers, this proves not just innate. Science has always discriminated, London organizations didn't have women member like 1945 especially as it became more important. Differences found statically anomalies, sex difference highly studied. Real rigorous testing shows few differences with most due to culture. "If you know the science, you would be a feminist".
Chapter 2
ictorian era scientists wrote some deplorable thingas. Discover of eugenics measured the differences of people. Women have been systemically oppressed and judging women by how society tewats them is narrowminded. Hormones like estrogen and test were thought to be super desperate, but found to be a surgery that produces a specturm
Females get sicker but males die quicker.
1st month 10% death more likely for boys. Parity in survival rates is social. 2x upper body strength and 6 inches taller male. But girls got survival strength more robust across life and culutre. Only scraps of research on this but huge research on hormones. Women live longer and more sick more pain and strong immune system means autoimmune response. Period pains nd other women only issued often ignored and misunderstood. All differences must originate from XY. Women's x chromosome only one activates in each cekk.
Medical research done mostly on men, bad for women. Women could be pregnant and have more wild hormone level. Reduce these things to just sex based diluting the complex picutre. Is there s way to recognize differences with thinking of them of seperatelu. Gender based medicine? Medical needs based on range of factors like environment and gender. Females now mandatory to be included in research trials in US. Once we decide bodies are different it creeps into how different we think.
By age of 5, child already have gender stereotypes. When shown picture, things that contradict stereotypes are harder to remember correctly.
Statistically significant difference in which gender looks at face or mechanical thing when newborn babies. Objective research is objective research we shouldn't why away from the truth cuz it inconvient->research is often wrong and unreplicated.
Original theory was widespread and broad perspective
Androgynous people, choose who they are at birth usually female. Belief if they are raised as such then they become. But grow up confused and do boyish things and more likely to be gay.
Boys and girls overlap almost entirely. Like colors aren't found to be funnier. In almost all things, less than one sd from men. Argue things at far end of bell curve are different
Those at lowest end of scale are men, at upper extreme not huge. Certainly not enough to account for scientists. 2:1 boy to girl at highest intelligence in test results and much higher in actual life. Huge focus on study of those babies looking at face vs system being minor but significant. Only like half of boys look more at system but between boy and girl statistically significant.
We love categories so though there are small differences we exaggerate them. Each individual should be seen as uniqur.
Chapter 4
Gender is one of those things that everyone has experience in and opinions about. Hard to be biased. The missing 6oz of a women's brain. Scientists were like, size difference means we should expect a intrigued difference. But can't distinguish between men and women brain the results are so simular. Some girl heavily resrsrch 3rd it and was like whales aren't gods. Now well established that body and skull size = brain size. Minute gender differences. Women had higher flow rates. Gender and women scholars argued in 1970 that looking for differences is sexist. Now lots of differences being found but huge amount under water without differences. Scientist under pressure to publish andn gender hot button. Neurosexist.
More accepted to deny gender arguments and feminists. Gender stereotypes projected onto research. Earlier 13:1 boy math high achievers in the past. Has plummeted since as have gaps across things. Different across culture. Surprising we don't see more differences. Scientists are searching for sex differences.
Chimps are super protective of children even never leaving their side for the first months. In the modern hunter gather remnants of society, 25% of other adults hold children and village raise children. So women seem to expect help.
Hunter hypothesis that hunters evolved communication and knowledge and language pushing humanity forward. Countered by women's gather hypo that child and women language cornerstone of human communication and language. Raising curious underdeveloped children and teaching them is difficult.
In the game of science, sounding sexist isn't a good reason to reject a theory. Bates theory was 1948 on fruit flies .... Women have much more of a cost of being pregnant and can't be more pregnsnt. Men can sleep with 50 women in 5p days and have 50 children. Men evolved to be polygamous. Women are more likely to be successful mates but the successful men are reallllly successful.but women sleeping around confuses men about who the children are. Found to have some advantages being promiscuous for women. Florida State study showing women less likely to agree to random sex. In a controlled lab, show 10 pictures saying they would all have sex with her. Women and men all agree. Women were choosier though. P"icking out examples in the animal kingdom ignored the wealth of inconsistency". Not completely wrong, but not completely right.
Chapter 8
Maybe women aren't got. Maybe men are suppressed and compelled to be faithful through selfish mate guarding. Constrained in interests of mates. Female genetic mutilation, slut vs stud. Patricarhy is manifrstion of mate guarding restricting female sexuality by force.
Bonobos, elephants, and hyenas are female dominated. Bonobos are more important cuz near human. Though females are smaller, they have strong bonds and protect their sons for years. Females inflict much injuries on males. Zoo keepers had excuses for why their bongos males were so timid.
For certain species there isn't a correlation between size and dominance. Bonobos dominate males through cooperstion. Hope for feminist movement. By caring and cooperating females, females can have power without being sexually and otherwise dominated
Menopause
Menopause? Women are useless witches that go crazy? Grandmother hypothesis, help with childcare for grandchildren. Shown in the modern tribes that resemble our lives. Maternal grandmothers are best contributors to child survival. Seen in many species like elephants and orcas. Maybe men just don't find old women attractive. Patricach hypothesis means older men live longer with power and have way more children giving women long lives too since on X chromosomes. And men with power want younger women. Can be both. Everyone wants to be responsible. Maybe everyone has experience and skill sharing. "Humans studying humans has bias?" Evolution psychology is bullshit. "Survivors cuz it's sexy throws men under the bus". Western women blame menopause for more symptoms than in China. But we have a new narrative now, it's not a disease it's a feature for hardworking grandma's, how empowering.
Women are the best
Women are more peaceful especially since less aggressive is better. Montague a men wrote a book about why women are better. Urged men to seek change and split child care and not leave housework. Science requires us to put our bias to the test. Feminism is a lens that illuminates bias in sciencr making it better. Facts will emppwer us to transform society that treats us as equals. clean the window and see ourselves as we are.