The Sexual Paradox: Extreme Men, Gifted Women and the Real Gender Gap

Susan Pinker has done an excellent job of marshaling the academic and medical evidence related to educational and career performance by women and men. The thesis of "The Sexual Paradox" is simple: biology profoundly influences destiny, in the workplace as well as elsewhere, and workforce policy should be cognizant of these differences. The data collected by Pinker suggests that women (as a group) tend to be steadier performers in life and in the workplace, to hew slightly more to population medians, and to be more profoundly influenced by the needs of family and community. Men (as a group) are slightly more likely to deviate from the averages at work or in life, either for good (as star performers) or for ill (evidencing, for example, more violent or criminal behaviors), and are likely to be more influenced than are women by competitive outcomes, such as salary or status. The result, according to Pinker, is that women (as a group) are, on balance, less likely than male peers to reach the top of the career pyramid, and are more likely to value jobs that stress interpersonal connections, doing good in society, and permitting the worker to achieve a balance between home and professional responsibilities. Males, on the other hand, are more likely to be highly competitive and motivated by the prospect of maximizing earnings and status, thus propelling the most gifted up the career ladder. Pinker bolsters her thesis with cases from her career as a developmental psychologist and interviews with male and female subjects. These cases and interviews tend to be with gifted women who have successfully entered the workforce and successful male professionals who evidence some of the traits associated with testosterone-related deviation from averages, such as Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. Her findings suggest that many gifted women voluntarily reduce their career commitments to spend additional time with family or achieve work-life balance, while the "extreme" males tend to find and pursue avidly careers that are compatible with their underlying disorders. (Examples: Males with Asperger's often seek careers in information technology or systems analysis. Males with ADHD frequently become entrepreneurs who use their need for novelty to fuel new product ideas.) Don't stamp Pinker, though, as a proponent of the view "biology is destiny, so women shouldn't be at work." Pinker champions women entering the workforce, and suggests that business policies be revised to accommodate female workforce participation with increased use of flex-time, job-sharing, or job tracks that recognize that many women wish to take time off to fulfill family responsibilities. Her prescriptions are sensible and deserve strong consideration. As well, Pinker stresses that her book speaks to large populations-- she recognizes that individual women and men can deviate substantially from generalized gender profiles. Is "The Sexual Paradox" airtight? I'd say not-- the only aspect

I loved this book! Pinker presents fascinating information in a way that is very engaging and keeps you wanting to read more. As a professional working woman and mother of two sons, I discovered aspects of myself and the men in my life on every page. Pinker's book has opened my mind to a new way of looking at gender, the choices we make and how we feel about them every day. I'm sending copies to all the women I love!

I came across this book one rainy afternoon at my local bookstore, and ended up reading it for the next two hours. Essentially an overview of why men and women seek very different career paths, "The Sexual Paradox" sheds light on some recent trends that others are quite honestly afraid to discuss. We all know that women often abandon corporate careers in greater numbers than men. In addition, it's not outlandish to say that women do this in order to spend more time with their spouses and/or children, and are willing to let go of the handsome salaries they've worked so very hard to attain. While that might sound sexist to some, it's a reality across the United States, if not the world in general. If anything, one might think that women have an advantage in certain careers like law -- because they certainly have higher scores in areas such as reading comprehension and writing. Despite this, our society makes demands upon women that many are simply unwilling to meet. In essence, we need to become more accommodating to the diversity of the workforce, primarily in gender. Issues such as flex-time, maternity leave and perhaps even telecommuting could be used to make such jobs and workplaces more attractive to women, and also lessen the burden of men. The more diverse our companies, the better. Men and women both have EQUAL amounts to offer our society. As a 22-year-old man majoring in public relations (a decidedly "female" field) I was intrigued by Pinker's overview in education. Clearly, to work in my field one needs highly developed reading and writing skills -- there's just no way around it. As the result of teaching methods that are simply outdated and ineffective, many boys do not develop these skills as well as their female peers... And I for one would like to see something change. In sum, Pinker does society a great service by breaking taboo and suggesting that perhaps men and women are biologically different, but that doesn't mean that either gender is any better (or worse) than the other. Perhaps in time we can begin to address these issues with honesty, and work to create a world where both sets of individuals are given equal chance to succeed -- preferably in an environment that doesn't favor one ideology over the other.

This thoroughly researched, fascinating book looks at many of the assumptions North Americans hold about gender differences and reveals some startling facts. Pinker systematically sets out to prove that women are quite different than men biologically and are actually FAVORED (not oppressed) by many cultural institutions, most notably schools and universities. As an educator and a young professional woman, I found Pinker's thesis closely matches my own experiences. By challenging the idea that women must measure themselves the same way they measure men, this book helps readers embrace a new and more relevant brand of feminism. The style is fairly academic, but each chapter contains a number of interesting and cutting-edge studies that should help you get through the slower bits.

Excellent book on gender stereotyping and issues. Pinker asks whether we really want to use men as the base for our evaluations. The book is long and crammed with information. It is a very worthwhile read though. Both men and women will find the book interesting and useful