The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sexual paradox, dyslexic women, imposter feelings, United States, United Kingdom, Ivy League (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Why, according to 2003 figures, do women constitute 49% of law school graduates but only 27% of practicing lawyers? Defying taboos, Pinker, a psychologist and columnist for the Globe & Mail, presents a compelling case for a biological explanation of why men and women make different career choices. Drawing on comprehensive scientific and social evidence and case studies, she proposes that hormones are a determining factor. The hormones predominant in men lead to action, focus and, often, to competitive and rigidly hierarchical professions such as law. Women's hormones lead them to focus on empathy and social interaction, and careers as teachers or social workers. Thus, despite their early advantages—girls have better language skills and discipline, while boys are more prone to dyslexia, autism and Asperger syndrome and other difficulties—women tend not to seek out the highest status or the most lucrative careers: They're reluctant to take jobs whose demands won't allow them the choice to focus on other aspects of their lives. Pinker says she isn't calling for a return to the 1950s housewife model. She emphasizes individual differences among men and women, but hopes that wider recognition of gender differences can lead to greater workplace flexibility and room for women's professional advancement on their own terms. She may draw a great deal of fire for this book, but her strong evidence could also open a better-informed discussion of the issues. B&w illus. (Mar.)
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Review

"Presented with flair, sensitivity, and determination, Pinker's penetrating conclusions shed important new light on how gender differences affect every strata of contemporary existence."

-- Booklist --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1 edition (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743284704
• ISBN-13: 978-0743284707
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #558,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pinker Says What Others Will Not, July 16, 2008

By	Jason G. - See all my reviews

I came across this book one rainy afternoon at my local bookstore, and ended up reading it for the next two hours. Essentially an overview of why men and women seek very different career paths, "The Sexual Paradox" sheds light on some recent trends that others are quite honestly afraid to discuss.

We all know that women often abandon corporate careers in greater numbers than men. In addition, it's not outlandish to say that women do this in order to spend more time with their spouses and/or children, and are willing to let go of the handsome salaries they've worked so very hard to attain.

While that might sound sexist to some, it's a reality across the United States, if not the world in general. If anything, one might think that women have an advantage in certain careers like law -- because they certainly have higher scores in areas such as reading comprehension and writing. Despite this, our society makes demands upon women that many are simply unwilling to meet.

In essence, we need to become more accommodating to the diversity of the workforce, primarily in gender. Issues such as flex-time, maternity leave and perhaps even telecommuting could be used to make such jobs and workplaces more attractive to women, and also lessen the burden of men. The more diverse our companies, the better. Men and women both have EQUAL amounts to offer our society.

As a 22-year-old man majoring in public relations (a decidedly "female" field) I was intrigued by Pinker's overview in education. Clearly, to work in my field one needs highly developed reading and writing skills -- there's just no way around it. As the result of teaching methods that are simply outdated and ineffective, many boys do not develop these skills as well as their female peers...

And I for one would like to see something change.

In sum, Pinker does society a great service by breaking taboo and suggesting that perhaps men and women are biologically different, but that doesn't mean that either gender is any better (or worse) than the other. Perhaps in time we can begin to address these issues with honesty, and work to create a world where both sets of individuals are given equal chance to succeed -- preferably in an environment that doesn't favor one ideology over the other.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will redefine your concept of feminism, July 15, 2008

By	hessa (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This thoroughly researched, fascinating book looks at many of the assumptions North Americans hold about gender differences and reveals some startling facts. Pinker systematically sets out to prove that women are quite different than men biologically and are actually FAVORED (not oppressed) by many cultural institutions, most notably schools and universities. As an educator and a young professional woman, I found Pinker's thesis closely matches my own experiences.

By challenging the idea that women must measure themselves the same way they measure men, this book helps readers embrace a new and more relevant brand of feminism. The style is fairly academic, but each chapter contains a number of interesting and cutting-edge studies that should help you get through the slower bits.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A Beacon of Sanity in the Gender Wars!, January 15, 2009

By	mysticaltyger (San Jose, California, USA) - See all my reviews

Pinker provides some fascinating studies that contradict a lot of what I learned as a Sociology major in college; that sex based differences in job preferences and other behavior is probably 80% due to biology and 20% to socialization. When I was in college, it was pretty much taught that all behavioral differences except for reproduction were the result of socialization.

Susan Pinker presents the latest studies from neuroscience that give us a sane middle ground for recognizing there there ARE real biologically based behavioral differences between men and women, without advocating that we go back to the overly rigid gender roles of the 1950s.