Review: Mismeasure of WomenEditorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsSocial psychologist Tavris (Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion, 1983) unveils society's systemic and often unconscious definition of the male as the norm against which women must measure up or be found deficient--a provocative and thought-provoking look at how sexism persists today. That women have lower self-esteem than men, are less self-confident, are more likely to repress their anger, and are more open to their feelings: these are societal truisms analyzed in every women's magazine in the country, Tavris says, as she points out that the question of how women compare to men has long held scientific researchers, doctors, psychologists and, today, cultural feminists in thrall. What is nearly always missed in such comparisons, the author adds, is that women are being compared, positively or negatively, to a male ""norm""--thus advancing an erroneous assumption of ""opposites"" and, in negative comparisons, pathologizing normal female ways of being. Illustrating her premise by pointing out the unlikelihood of finding a bookstore filled with manuals aimed at helping men overcome their tendency to be more conceited than women, to assess their abilities less realistically than women, or to have more difficulty than women in maintaining attachments, Tavris analyzes how the treatment of normal female processes as abnormal (physical reactions to menstruation become a ""syndrome"" that debilitates; women floundering under society-caused difficulties combining child care and work are diagnosed as ""depressed""; workers' time off for pregnancies is shoved into the category of ""disability leave""; cultural feminists' belief in women's ""natural"" superiority allows men to proceed, unquestioned, with their own ""natural"" careerist lives) cripple efforts toward true equality and mutual enhancement between the sexes. Greater awareness of the diversity of ""normal"" human behaviors is needed, Tavris says, if we are to view one another with unblinkered eyes. The author's unusual ability to winnow out such deeply imbedded errors in thinking makes this an especially important, stimulating, and timely work, and an excellent complement to Susan Faludi's Backlash (1991). User reviewsReview: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Chris Pederson - Goodreads'Equality as acceptance means that instead of regarding cultural and reproductive differences as problems to be eliminated, we would aim to eliminate the unequal consequences that follow from them.' AWESOME book and met Carol at TAM8, super nice! Read full review Review: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Lawrence Bish - GoodreadsThis book was one of many that have opened my eyes to hidden flaws in my own and the general perceptions of our world, our behaviors, our beliefs and our social practices. A significant and wonderful contribution towards correcting some of the more ignorant problems of western society. Read full review Review: The Mismeasure Of WomanUser Review - Emily - GoodreadsThis book is the wiser and more knowledgeable sister of The Beauty Myth. Some material is, thankfully, out of date, thanks to 20 years of progress in queer advocacy. But Tavris's discussion of legal ... Read full review Review: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Naomi - GoodreadsThis was a good read - it brought to light a lot of biased ways of thinking about differences between the sexes (and lack thereof) that I may not have noticed previously without being strictly pro-women/anti-man. I thought it was very balanced and also well-written in general. Read full review Review: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Caley - GoodreadsAbsolutely fantastic. The best, most complete, and most helpful book on gender I've ever read. Tavris' ideas deal mostly with the cage our culture imposes by evaluating women to male standards and ... Read full review Review: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Kaethe - GoodreadsAmanda mentioned it on Pandagon, and apparently, it holds up very well. Read full review Review: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Colin - GoodreadsI mean, it's a good book, but a little dated now. Worth a read, if you're into psychology, as that's what I remember it mostly focusing on. Read full review Review: The Mismeasure Of WomanUser Review - Valerie - GoodreadsStephen Jay Gould noted with delight that the title of this book was borrowed from his own The Mismeasure of Man. The main issue here (as I read it), is that the 'average human' is not a '60 kilogram ... Read full review Review: Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women Are Not the Better Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite SexUser Review - Belenen - GoodreadsWritten by a psychologist, The Mismeasure of Woman explores studies on 'gender', focusing on the psychological and social aspects, with a basic section on the brain studies. It took me a while to work ... 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