Review of 'INFERIOR: HOW SCIENCE GOT WOMEN WRONG' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I read this book as I was researching for my book on "Impact Science". It has been a fantastic resource to showcase that science is fundamentally shaped by society, not just the opposite. The author is really good exposing how misogynistic prejudging scientists has shaped our research and therefore our knowledge. For example forgoing medical trials of medicines in women until recently because the menstrual period makes it harder to analyze (and then years later discover women had different needs of doses and have different symptoms).
It is at times uncomfortable to read how biased science has been. It is therefore a must read for any scientist to reflect and learn.
Review of 'INFERIOR: HOW SCIENCE GOT WOMEN WRONG' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Quick and easy read on a complex and difficult subject. I thought the author was generally quite fair and did a good job presenting the science accurately, though there was one place I felt she described adaptation in a somewhat Larmarckian fashion. That may have just been awkward phrasing - I can't find the passage in question now, so don't let that put you off.
I thought the first chapter was especially strong. The correspondence between Darwin and his male contemporaries and the feminists and woman scientists of the day was heartbreaking and illuminating. One of the major takeaways for me from this book is that so many otherwise expert and intelligent people are blinded by cultural and personal bias. A reminder to myself not to limit myself based on other people's expectations and also to be careful about my own blind spots.
I thought the book would have benefited …
Quick and easy read on a complex and difficult subject. I thought the author was generally quite fair and did a good job presenting the science accurately, though there was one place I felt she described adaptation in a somewhat Larmarckian fashion. That may have just been awkward phrasing - I can't find the passage in question now, so don't let that put you off.
I thought the first chapter was especially strong. The correspondence between Darwin and his male contemporaries and the feminists and woman scientists of the day was heartbreaking and illuminating. One of the major takeaways for me from this book is that so many otherwise expert and intelligent people are blinded by cultural and personal bias. A reminder to myself not to limit myself based on other people's expectations and also to be careful about my own blind spots.
I thought the book would have benefited from more about intersex people and inclusion of more about transgender people. I thought the section that did exist on intersex people was well done and sensitive. I also felt like there could have been a lot more about sex determination - it's incredibly complex and leads to an astonishing amount of variation within and between what we think of as the sexes. I think it would have strengthened some of her arguments to delve into this a bit.
I felt a bit frustrated during parts of the book because I sometimes felt she was focusing more on the cultural environment the science was produced in instead of the actual science, but by the end of the book I really appreciated that. Part of the book is titled How Science Got Women Wrong and the cultural environment and personal beliefs of the scientists are a big part of that.
