Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women (Paperback)

~ Virginia Valian (Author) "The term glass ceiling has become a popular way of referring to the scarcity of women at the top levels of organizations..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Ann Hopkins, Price Waterhouse (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A scholarly and convincing explanation of women's slow progress in the professions. Whether in business, law, medicine, or academia, women are not advancing at the same rate as men. They're not paid as well, they occupy less-powerful positions, and they are not as respected. In this copiously researched book, Valian (Psychology and Linguistics/Hunter Coll.) attempts to explain why. She argues that we all have unarticulated, often subconscious ideas about gender that affect both our behavior and, perhaps even more importantly, our evaluations of one another. For instance, we think men are logical, women are social; men are competent, women are flaky. As a result, men are consistently overrated and women underrated by coworkers, bosses--and themselves. The resulting advantages and disadvantages may be small, but they accrue over time to create large gaps in advancement. Valian reviews numerous studies, enlivens her material with personal anecdotes, and offers both personal and societal solutions. She looks not only at the workplace, but at its context--data on how girls and boys are raised and educated differently and the extremely inconclusive biological research on men and women's ``inherent'' differences (she has a refreshingly balanced take on the latter, noting that there may be a few differences, but they don't justify our discriminatory assumptions and practices). Throughout much of the book, Valian is in effect synthesizing the work of other researchers--but her take on the material, which draws richly on a linguist's sensitivity to nuances of verbal exhcanges, is fresh, and it's worth doing, since few readers will ever see the obscure studies she cites. Probably too academic in tone for most readers, but for anyone concerned about gender inequality--or perhaps even more importantly, readers who think they aren't--it's worth a look. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"If you've ever thought to yourself, ‘the more I know, the less I understand,'read this book. It won't make you feel any better. In fact you'll risk outrage, more than you thought you had left in you. Bust you might re-enlist for some local feminist strategizing sessions or be moved to form a late-nineties consciousness-raising group or another women's caucus at work. At least you'll be armed with reliable ammunition -- solid theories and ‘hard'scientific supporting data -- to use in your next debate with a recalcitrant but well-meaning department chair or program officer or managing partner or corporate boss." -- Mary Ellen S. Capek, The Women's Review of Books, November 1998

"In her superb book, Why So Slow? Virginia Valian, a professor of psychology at Hunter College, lays out the extent of lingering economic discrepancies between men and women in the United States." -- Natalie Angier, The New York Times Magazine, February 21, 1999

"Why So Slow? is a breakthrough in the discourse on gender and has great potential to move the women's movement to a new, more productive phase."
— Publisher's Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 421 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (February 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262720310
• ISBN-13: 978-0262720311
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,499 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valian's social science research-review rocks!, May 1, 1999

By	Sarah McGinty ([e-mail]) "smcginty@t... (Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why So Slow?: The Advancement of Women (Hardcover)

Virginia Valian offers scholars and general readers a book of extraordinary excellence. Why So Slow? brings together decades of social science research on the role of gender in society.

In the schools, in the home, in the work place, men and women have taken on different roles and therefore have lived different experiences. Gender is socially constructed. But it affects who gets listened to, who gets promoted, and even whose goals get cheered in those coed soccer games! Understanding the construction isn't easy. Valian's book lights the path.

Valian's claim is that small differences can become, over time, significant differences. If disadvantage accumulates, the little molehills become mountains. If women (or any group) suffers a slight disadvantage in evaluation, hiring, promotion, consideration, or attention, over time the disadvantage can be great--and Valian gathers the numbers and data to support her view. Her title question, Why So Slow?, asks why women still represent only 8% of all the managing directors on Wall Street, still lag behid in publication, pay, and promotion. It is surprising to discover that the causes are broadly societal and not just "men as the enemy."

The book is beautifully structured, carefully written, complete (even a first rate index she must have created herself!), richly annotated, and a pleasure to read. Valian's tone is that of the scientist and scholar who has looked long and carefully at the world and has a few interesting thoughts to share. The final chapter should be required reading for anyone with a job, a child, or a future

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have we come a long way, baby?, February 9, 2001

By	E. M. Carey "LGW" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered this book browsing through the bibliography of Woman, An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier. Some of the statistics Angier used truly frightened me, and this excellent book turned out to be the source. This book paints a fascinatingly disturbing picture of the status of women in modern society, and Valian relies on statistics, data and research to back up her theory that we haven't progressed quite as far as we might think. Because Why So Slow? focuses on research rather than anecdotal evidence or experiences, it does come across as 'somewhat dry,' as one reviewer noted, but I still couldn't put it down as I completely engrossed in and upset by what I was reading. I highly recommend this book to anyone at all interested in the position of women in current society. It certainly opened my eyes and has helped me notice things that otherwise wouldn't have caught my attention - examples of gender bias are so pervasive, and Valian does not sugar coat the story. Again, Why So Slow is invaluable for people - men and women alike - who are concerned about women's place in the modern world - I cannot recommend it highly enough. Be prepared to be annoyed and disturbed but don't miss it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't stop recommending this book to every woman I know., December 15, 2005

By	Whitney A. Postman "Whitney Postman" (Bethesda, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I waited too long to read Prof. Valian's book. Had I been armed with the knowledge offered in it earlier, I might have been spared some of the most unpleasant experiences and obstacles in my professional life. The breadth of the research covered, on everything from how young girls are channeled into certain careers or non-careers to the publishing patterns of men and women in academics, is its most impressive quality. I find myself referring to it often in everyday conversation, and recommending it to female friends and family members of all ages and levels of employment. If I have more confidence and a more positive outlook on my life's work now, it is in large part due to Prof. Valian's superb mega-study and her suggestions for moving forward.