Let me start by saying that this is the first book I’ve ever read about feminism and equality, let alone these two topics in relation to science. I wasn’t even aware that Inferior existed until I saw a couple of scicomm bloggers I follow on social media post about it. At first, I wasn’t very compelled to read this book as it’s not the kind of book I typically read and it’s a topic that I tend to avoid reading about. Yet I felt that I needed to read this book, to educate myself and understand this topic especially as a woman in science.
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong – and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story
by Angela Saini
Summary:
Angela Saini is a science journalist with a background in engineering. In this book, she explores the many myths and notions that society has come to accept about men and women, and how sexism has been deeply ingrained into scientific research methods for centuries. From anthropology and psychology to neuroscience and biology, no stone is left unturned and is thoroughly examined to better understand scientific findings that paint women as inferior to men in a clear and concise way. She dives into decades upon decades of research in archives, literature, and interviews with Professors, and Angela shows that even the most respected scientists, such as Darwin himself, believed that women were inherently inferior. She discusses how these inaccurate portrayals of females and their inferiority to men is spread through things such as scientific journals favoring studies showing the differences rather than the similarities, how scientific some scientific findings fail to account for culture, and more. She also sheds light on new research that is portraying a new and fascinating portrait of women and seeks to understand gender and sex from a new perspective.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone – especially those who are interested in science or gender issues. It was very well researched and gave light to both sides of the spectrum. Thought-provoking, informative, and inspiring, Inferior is a pretty good book.
4.5/5
Stuffomatic Blog 