Delusions of Gender

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference
Author	Cordelia Fine
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Sex and intelligence
Genre	Non-fiction
Published	2010 (W. W. Norton & Company)
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages	338
ISBN	0-393-06838-2

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference is a 2010 book by Cordelia Fine, written to debunk the idea that men and women are hardwired with different interests. The author criticizes claimed evidence of the existence of innate biological differences between men and women's minds, as being faulty and exaggerated, and argues that cultural and societal beliefs contribute to commonly perceived sex differences.

Contents

In the first part of the book, "'Half Changed World', Half Changed Minds", Fine argues that social and environmental factors strongly influence the mind, making many conclusions about innate gender differences dubious. She also discusses the history and impact of gender stereotypes and the ways that science has been used to justify sexism.

In the second part of the book, "Neurosexism," Fine criticizes the current available arguments and studies supporting sex differences in the mind, focusing on methodological errors and logical gaps. For an example, she explains weaknesses in the work done by a student of Simon Baron-Cohen that has been widely cited (by the Gurian Institute, by Leonard Sax, by Peter Lawrence, and by Baron-Cohen himself): one and a half day-old babies were tested for preference in sequence rather than being given a choice; were tested in different viewing positions, some horizontal on their backs and some held in a parent's lap, which could affect their perception; and the sex of the subject was known to the tester at the time of the test.^[1]

In the third part of the book, "Recycling Gender," she argues that the use of faulty science to justify gender stereotypes can negatively impact future generations.

Reception

Popular press

In the UK, the book received positive reviews in Nature, The Independent, The Times Literary Supplement, New Scientist, Metro and The Belfast Telegraph.^[2] The Guardian^[3] and London Evening Standard^[4] each chose it as a Book of the Year. It was Book of the Week in Times Higher Education.^[5]

In Australia, the book received positive reviews in The Age, The Australian and The West Australian.^[2]

Delusions of Gender received positive reviews in the United States in Science,^[2] The New York Times,^[6] The Washington Post,^[7] USA Today,^[8] Newsweek,^[9] Jezebel^[10] and Kirkus Reviews.^[11] Publisher's Weekly chose it for a starred review and as a Pick of the Week.^[2]

More positive reviews came from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The Globe and Mail, Socialist Worker, Out in Perth, The Fat Quarter, Erotic Review, The F Word, Counterfire, Neuroskeptic (at Discover magazine).^[2] Ms. magazine and Elle singled the book out for their readers.^[2]

• 2013 Warwick Prize for Writing, shortlist

Academic reaction

Baron-Cohen reviewed the book in The Psychologist. In it, he responded to Fine's criticisms of the studies in which he had been involved and criticized the book as "fusing science with politics," writing, "Her barely veiled agenda, in this long, scholarly book, is to show that any sex difference found in humans can be made to vanish!"^[12] Fine responded in a published letter to The Psychologist, stating "The thesis of my book (no veils required) is that while social effects on sex differences are well-established, spurious results, poor methodologies and untested assumptions mean we don’t yet know whether, on average, males and females are born differently predisposed to systemizing versus empathising."^[13]

Diane Halpern, whose paper "The Science of Sex Differences in Mathematics and Science" is also criticized by Fine in Delusions of Gender, reported mixed feelings about the book, arguing that it was "strongest in exposing research conclusions that are closer to fiction than science...and weakest in failing to also point out differences that are supported by a body of carefully conducted and well-replicated research."^[14]

Lewis Wolpert, a developmental biologist, in a video lecture stated seriously while playing for laughs that "Fine hasn't a clue about biology."^[15]

McCarthy and Ball (2011) reviewed the book in the journal Biology of Sex Differences. They acknowledged that "Prompting laypeople to adopt a more critical view of overly simplistic views of complex data sets is a goal any scientist can support, and for that we applaud (Fine's) efforts." However, their overall review is not positive, and they note that Fine's book presents an oversimplified and seriously distorted characterization of neuroscience as applied to the study of sex differences. They expressed disappointment that Fine's book "...can be vexing in the ways the scientific study of sex differences in brain and behavior is portrayed and (how) the current state-of-the-art is presented."^[16]

See also

• Biology of gender
• Gender role
• Implicit stereotypes
• Sex and intelligence
• Sexism
• Stereotype

References

External links

• The book's official site
• "Cordelia Fine: Delusions of Gender". FORA.tv (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).  one hour video