Synopses & Reviews
From respected academics like Carol Gilligan to pop-psych gurus like John Gray, the message has long been the same: Men and women are fundamentally different, and trying to bridge the gender gap can only lead to grief. Generations have bought into the idea that women are uniquely primed to be relational, men innately driven toward achievement--even when these truths are contradicted by what's happening in our daily lives. The time has come, argue the authors of this groundbreaking book, to liberate ourselves from biological determinism. Drawing on years of exhaustive research, Barnett and Rivers reveal how a toxic mix of junk science, pop psychology, and media hype has profoundly influenced our thinking and behavior, causing us to make poor decisions about how we choose our mates, raise our children, and manage our careers. It is power, not gender, that makes a difference; in fact, there are more differences among women (or men) with varying degrees of power than there are between women and men. In this vitally important and life-changing book, Barnett and Rivers sound a clarion call: a plea to end sexual stereotyping so that women and men, girls and boys, may realize their destinies as full human beings. Myth...Men are genetically driven to seek out beautiful women. This may have been true in the stone age, but times change. Now, a significant number of men report that an attractive portfolio is even more alluring than a pretty face. Myth...Women want to marry wealthy men who can protect them and their children. In fact, a surprising majority of today's women put a higher price tag on empathy and nurturance. Myth...Girls face an inevitable plunge in self-esteem at adolescence.Recent research finds no evidence of this. Yet parents, teachers, and girls themselves lower their expectations and balk at challenges, because of this pervasive belief. Myth...Boys and girls learn differently. Teaching styles that emphasize different tactics for boys and girls are more often rooted in stereotypes than research or hard science, and can lead to a poorer-quality education for girls. Still, public funds are squandered on special curricula aimed at female learning styles. Myth...Men and women speak different languages--they Just Don't Understand each other. Wrong. Women talk male in the boardroom, and men easily master motherese. Myth...Female leadership is kinder and gentler. Not so. Position is the key to behavior: female managers are not more democratic than males, though many of us might like to think so.
Review
"[A] vital study of the state of women in the labor force... It's hard to ignore overwhelming evidence that shows the undesirable and unsustainable conditions women face in the 21st century. This book will move readers."
—Publishers Weekly
"In page after page, these authors catalog the barriers that women still confront…[and] support their argument with solid data and illuminating anecdotes."
—Library Journal
“This is the book you have been waiting for. In meticulous and maddening detail, the authors lay out the studies and statistics that show how women are getting overlooked and underpaid in the workplace. And by showing that the gender wage gap typically begins right out of school, they blow a million sorry excuses for the pay differential right out of the water. Its not business. Its bias.”
—Carolyn Maloney, U.S. Representative for New Yorks 12th Congressional District
“The New Soft War on Women is myth-shattering, disturbing, persuasive, and hopeful all at once. The authors argue that discrimination isnt gone, its gone underground, and they show what to do about it to ensure that womens talent isnt lost. Anyone who cares about a thriving economy—and her own career—should grab this powerful book.”
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and bestselling author of Confidence and SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good
“While the rest of the punditocracy either proclaims or bemoans the ‘end of men, veteran observers Caryl Rivers and Rosalind Barnett say ‘not so fast. This bracing, clear-sighted, and well-researched book cautions against such premature self-congratulation and reminds us of the startling inequalities yet to be righted.”
—Michael Kimmel, author of Guyland and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies
“Finally, finally, finally—a book that pulls together and makes sense of the most credible research on women in the workforce. If you have been confused by the media hype, if you are a woman, if you manage women, or if you are a business decision maker, this is a must-have book for you!”
—Ellen Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute
Synopsis
From respected academics like Carol Gilligan to pop-psych gurus like John Gray, and even the controversial Harvard President Lawrence Summers, the message has long been the same: Men and women are fundamentally different, and trying to bridge the gender gap can only lead to grief. But as the New York Times Book Review raved, Barnett and Rivers "debunk these theories in a no-nonsense way, offering a refreshingly direct (i.e. unashamedly judgmental) critique of traditional parental roles, tututting at the couples they interviewed who cling to stereotyped ideas of the family." "Blending case histories, new research and thoughtful analysis, the writers describe the divide between the sexes as a crevice, not a chasm. The good news: We're all a lot more flexible than the gender clich8Es let on."-Psychology Today
Synopsis
A lesson in critical thinking and a warning to look more deeply into data before believing the latest hot story about the battle of the sexes. -Boston Globe
Synopsis
For the first time in history, women make up half the educated labor force and are earning the majority of advanced degrees. It should be the best time ever for women, and yet... its not. Storm clouds are gathering, and the worst thing is that most women dont have a clue what could be coming. In large part this is because the message theyre being fed is that they now have it made. But do they?
In The New Soft War on Women, respected experts on gender issues and the psychology of women Caryl Rivers and Rosalind C. Barnett argue that an insidious war of subtle biases and barriers is being waged that continues to marginalize women. Although women have made huge strides in recent years, these gains have not translated into money and influence. Consider the following:
- Women with MBAs earn, on average, $4,600 less than their male counterparts in their first job out of business school.
- Female physicians earn, on average, 39 percent less than male physicians.
- Female financial analysts take in 35 percent less, and female chief executives one quarter less than men in similar positions.
In this eye-opening book, Rivers and Barnett offer women the real facts as well as tools for combating the soft war” tactics that prevent them from advancing in their careers. With women now central to the economy, determining to a large degree whether it thrives or stagnates, this is one war no one can afford for them to lose.
About the Author
Caryl Rivers is a professor of journalism at the College of Communication at Boston University. A nationally known author and journalist, she received the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Rosalind C. Barnett is a senior scientist at the Womens Studies Research Center at Brandeis University. Her pioneering research on workplace issues and family life in America has been sponsored by federal grants, and she is often invited to lecture at major venues in the United States and abroad. Dr. Barnett has a private clinical psychology practice and is the author of scholarly and popular books and articles.