From the AEGIS e-Journal, Volume 7 Number 11, November 2004
Taking Sex Differences Seriously Steven E. Rhoads Encounter Books ISBN: 1-893554-93-7 240 pages $25.95 http://www.encounterbooks.com/ 1-415-538-1460 On very very rare occasion we come across a book such extraordinary contemporary social significance that we feel it must be read by virtually everyone we know. One such book was Beyond Fear, by Bruce Schneier (http://www.lubrinco.com/ejournal/ej200309.pdf), where we noted that, “If you could only read one book about security, the book you should read is Beyond Fear.” Taking Sex Differences Seriously falls into this same category, and we believe it should be read by every policy maker. ÆGIS, November 2004 11 Sex permeates all human existence, affecting social structure, religion, civil life, criminology, and the world of business. It is, for most, an area of much fascination and little knowledge. As chance would have it, this editor’s area of study, when getting his Masters, was sex, and therefore some of the researchers – and some of the research – discussed in the book are known personally. Rhoad’s book “argues that sex differences are large, deeply rooted and consequential. Men and women still have different natures, and, generally speaking, different preferences, talents and interests. The book presents evidence that these differences can be explained in part by hormones and other physiological and chemical distinctions between men and women. Thus they won’t disappear unless we tinker with our fundamental biological natures.” Now, the idea that men and women are inherently different may not seem too outlandish to anyone who has seen a member of the opposite sex close up. Until you remember that much feminist theory, and much social policy, is based on the assumption that the differences between men and women are largely caused by socialization rather than biology. The author makes a compelling contrary case to for this former worker in the field. Assuming you accept his premise, the next question you ask should reasonably be “so what?” The “so what” comes when you consider any interaction whatsoever between men and women. • If you have a daughter, and would like her to grow up to be as happy and contributive as possible, this book will give you some insights that will help you guide her through the contemporary world. • If you have a son, and would like him to grow up to be as happy and contributive as possible, this book will give you some insights that will help you guide him through the contemporary world. • If you were a coach, and trying to produce a set of competitive Title IX teams for your school, this book will help you understand the different playing styles and approaches to sports with which you will have to deal. • If you are a principal trying to put together a zero-tolerance policy against violence, this book will help you understand the problems you will encounter. ÆGIS, November 2004 12 • If you are considering divorce, this book will help you understand some of the foreseeable implications for your children if you do, and your future level of happiness if you don’t. • If you are interested in crime, this book will give you the most reliable demographic predictor for youth violence. • If you are concerned with inner city pregnancy, this book will give you an insight into some of the problems that are faced. • If you run a company, and want to develop the most appropriate child- care policies, this book will give you an idea of the complexities of the issues, which are still not clear in the research. • If you run a company, and want to provide gender-neutral advancement, this book will help you see the landmines ahead. • If you run a police department or an army, and want to have equal representation by women, you will gain insights from this book. • If you are a boy and want to maximize your dating success – or your ultimate happiness in life – this book will help you achieve your goal. • If you are a girl, overwhelmed by predatory sexual pressures, this book will give you social strategies and goals. • If you are trying to understand the role of women in other cultures, this book will give you cross-cultural insights. • If you don’t understand how members of the opposite sex think, this book will help a little. • If you want to have a long and happy marriage, this book may well give you some clues. The bottom line is that men and women appear to have some fundamental differences. While these differences range along a spectrum (due more, we suspect, to in utero testosterone levels than to socialization), rather than being sharply defined, they are nonetheless there. Behaving as if women are merely men who can give birth and lactate, and men are merely women who can’t, may create a good gender feminist (as opposed to equity feminist) but a bad social policy maker and planner. Because of its wide range of application, as well as its break from the more- commonly held approach to the role of socialization in gender differences, we consider this book to be critically important, and a must-read for any policy maker. ÆGIS, November 2004 13 7. Free-Subscription/Unsubscription/Copyright Information •• ÆGIS e-journal is supported and maintained by voluntary efforts. This publication is owned, published, and copyright © 2004 by The LUBRINCO Group Ltd, Inc. and Financial Examinations and Evaluations, Inc. It is edited jointly by Richard Isaacs ([email protected]) and L. Burke Files ([email protected]). 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LUBRINCO identifies and quantifies threats and vulnerabilities, and their associated risk, then manages the vulnerabilities so you can transfer or live with the residual risk. We prevent disastrous financial loss to your company, and physical harm to you, your family, and your staff. ÆGIS, November 2004 14 For information on The LUBRINCO Group and its services, or for the archive of all past issues of ÆGIS e-journal in PDF format, please go to http://www.lubrinco.com/. To sign up for a complimentary subscription to ÆGIS e-journal or the ÆGIS e- journal PDF notification list, go to http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs?customerid=7768 or send an email to [email protected]. To subscribe to our AvantGo channel, go to http://avantgo.com/channels/_add_channel.pl?cha_id=1773 To be removed from the subscription list, follow the instructions on the mailing you received, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. 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Article Title, from the November 2004 ÆGIS e-journal (© 2004 LUBRINCO & FEE), to be found at http://www.lubrinco.com/. ÆGIS e-journal is a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, operating styles, theories, and related topics for corporate managers who make ÆGIS, November 2004 15 decisions about threats typically outside the expertise available in-house, yet which have the potential to affect their company’s domestic and international bottom lines. Nothing appearing in ÆGIS e-journal should be construed as legal advice. The information provided is “general information,” not “specific advice.” The solution to any problem is highly dependent upon the precise facts involved. Thus, before making any reliance upon anything said here, you should consult with an appropriately skilled professional. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher, and may be presented to encourage a dialogue among subscribers. The publisher and any re-publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred as a result of the application of any information published in ÆGIS e-journal. Please be safe, and be smart.