Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist
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- Author：Frans de Waal
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Summary
New York Times best-selling author and world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal explores sex and gender in both humans and other animals。
Though many scholars now argue that gender differences are purely a product of socialization， primatologist Frans de Waal illustrates in Different the scientific， evolutionary basis for gender differences in humans， drawing on his decades of experience working with our closest ape relatives: chimpanzees and bonobos。 De Waal illuminates their behavioral and biological differences， and compares and contrasts them with human behavior: male domination and territoriality in chimpanzees and the female-led pacific society of bonobos。
In his classic conversational style and a narrative rich in anecdotes and wry observations， de Waal tackles topics including gender identity， sexuality， gender-based violence， same-sex rivalry， homosexuality， friendship， and nurturance。 He reveals how evolutionary biology can inform a more nuanced—and equitable—cultural understanding of gender。 Ultimately， he argues， our two nearest primate relatives are equally close to us， and equally relevant。 Considering all available evidence， we can learn much about ourselves and embrace our similarities as well as our differences。
Though many scholars now argue that gender differences are purely a product of socialization， primatologist Frans de Waal illustrates in Different the scientific， evolutionary basis for gender differences in humans， drawing on his decades of experience working with our closest ape relatives: chimpanzees and bonobos。 De Waal illuminates their behavioral and biological differences， and compares and contrasts them with human behavior: male domination and territoriality in chimpanzees and the female-led pacific society of bonobos。
In his classic conversational style and a narrative rich in anecdotes and wry observations， de Waal tackles topics including gender identity， sexuality， gender-based violence， same-sex rivalry， homosexuality， friendship， and nurturance。 He reveals how evolutionary biology can inform a more nuanced—and equitable—cultural understanding of gender。 Ultimately， he argues， our two nearest primate relatives are equally close to us， and equally relevant。 Considering all available evidence， we can learn much about ourselves and embrace our similarities as well as our differences。
Reviews
Mariosa Comunale
，
I definitely learned something on Primates and it is well written but， to be honest， is hard to tell a proper take away of this book。 It feels just a lot of words and not enough substance。
Angie Boyter
，
3+ or 4-， hard to rate。 Like everything I have read by de Waal， this book is full of fascinating lore， studies， and information about our closest primate relatives， but it reads more like a group of essays that include some discussion of gender/sex with a concluding chapter focusing on gender in humans with comparisons to other animals rather than an organized book-long presentation。 For example， there is a lot of comparison between bonobos and chimpanzees， such as an interesting study of the di 3+ or 4-， hard to rate。 Like everything I have read by de Waal， this book is full of fascinating lore， studies， and information about our closest primate relatives， but it reads more like a group of essays that include some discussion of gender/sex with a concluding chapter focusing on gender in humans with comparisons to other animals rather than an organized book-long presentation。 For example， there is a lot of comparison between bonobos and chimpanzees， such as an interesting study of the difference in tool use。 And， as stated in the subtitle "gender through the eyes of a primatologist"， the book is mostly about species other than human。 So I give it high marks on interesting material and even entertainment value for some of the observations but low marks on an organized discussion of the topic at hand。 。。。more
Juan I。
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Another fundamental book by Frans de Waal。 I hope he can soon deliver more books to help us know much better how we humans are。Thanks， Dr。 de Waal。
Cheenu
，
This book is an interesting perspective on the nurture vs。 nature debate - looking at the gender differences of two of our closest primate relatives - chimps and bonobos。 As the nurture part of the equation is removed in primate populations， all the gender differences highlighted in this book can be assumed to be due to nature。
Jay Stringer
，
Disclaimer: I did not get through this book。This book is not as dry as it sounds。 The author does a great job at making his work accessible for those who do not have a background in primatology while not leaving readers feeling as though he is "dumbing down the material。" One of my favorite scholars， bell hooks， does this well and I feel as though he successfully modeled his approach to the material in the same fashion。 Perhaps this is confirmation bias but I enjoyed reading an expert in the sub Disclaimer: I did not get through this book。This book is not as dry as it sounds。 The author does a great job at making his work accessible for those who do not have a background in primatology while not leaving readers feeling as though he is "dumbing down the material。" One of my favorite scholars， bell hooks， does this well and I feel as though he successfully modeled his approach to the material in the same fashion。 Perhaps this is confirmation bias but I enjoyed reading an expert in the subject sharing my own assessment of Dr。 Money's unethical experiment—though he does notably leave out the part where Dr。 Money was more than likely sexually abusing the children。I wanted to read this book to learn， and I believe the first few chapters were sufficient for my goal。 Those are my only pros。 I don't doubt the authors ethos on his own subject: however， I do question the opportunity for nuanced discussion of gender—especially genders that do not fit in cishet normative western culture—from any "insert cishet white men with an area of expertise here，" as their life experience （and he will tell you） is generally without much nuance。 I found that， unfortunately， despite the dedicated effort to make male centric academia inclusive to the othered， this book felt like a futile display of a male scholar begrudgingly scaling down his ivory tower to tell the rest of us， "We want you to know we hear you all the way up there but you're still wrong。" At the end of the day， this felt like a white man capitalizing off the desperate "need" for the "marginalized whites" to remind us all why they are experts and we are not。You can keep your two cents， sir。 。。。more
Erica
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3。75 stars。 Certainly the most ambitious piece I've read from de Waal。 Doesn't always hit this mark， but I was ultimately convinced by his thesis that gender comes from a combination of nature and nurture。The most interesting parts are definitely when he is talking about non-human primates because that's where his expertise is。 When he's trying to wrap it back to human society is where his statements get really generalized and stereotypical。 This isn't a book that necessarily stands on its own， 3。75 stars。 Certainly the most ambitious piece I've read from de Waal。 Doesn't always hit this mark， but I was ultimately convinced by his thesis that gender comes from a combination of nature and nurture。The most interesting parts are definitely when he is talking about non-human primates because that's where his expertise is。 When he's trying to wrap it back to human society is where his statements get really generalized and stereotypical。 This isn't a book that necessarily stands on its own， but rather can be used to better understand gender theory from an evolutionary perspective。 。。。more
timv
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It was a pleasure to read this book about sex characteristics and differences in various primates and insights this can give us about humans。 Insights from a thoughtful scientist who has spent his lifetime studying primates。 I find it fascinating that three species that are so closely related， the bonobos， the chimpanzees， and humans have such different social interactions and behaviors。 Frans De Waal is a fine communicator of his thoughts and observations。
Forrest Crock
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This book is about how gender associated behavior is similar to that of all mammals。 That males and females have similar strategies among most animals。 Here are some of the key points I got from this book:One being that gender is more of a spectrum。 That when primatologist study various non-human primates they tend to study more the “typical” behavior and don’t pay attention to those that are different。 Like one chimpanzee that was born with non-functional female anatomy， but had the general mal This book is about how gender associated behavior is similar to that of all mammals。 That males and females have similar strategies among most animals。 Here are some of the key points I got from this book:One being that gender is more of a spectrum。 That when primatologist study various non-human primates they tend to study more the “typical” behavior and don’t pay attention to those that are different。 Like one chimpanzee that was born with non-functional female anatomy， but had the general male body and acted more “male”。 Two that your sexual orientation and your gender identity you are born with and no amount of trying to change it will ever work。 That nurture here plays really no role。 Three that we are more like our ape relatives than we are willing to admit。 That we have gendered tendencies like that of the other apes。 Four that behavior because of our neuroplasticity， had more flexibility not only in us， but other species as well。 Out flexibility is greater， but we underestimate it in other primates。 。。。more
Nancy Roth
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Once I'd finished it， I found I needed to really think hard to distil the main idea out of many ideas。 For the text does have a complex structure: two genders， three species （humans， chimpanzees and bonobos）， an obligation to "define" each of these things， that is， establish the central feature and set boundaries。 Only after all that can the description of difference begin。 And it is everywhere: difference between genders within a given species， difference between species in terms of the way gen Once I'd finished it， I found I needed to really think hard to distil the main idea out of many ideas。 For the text does have a complex structure: two genders， three species （humans， chimpanzees and bonobos）， an obligation to "define" each of these things， that is， establish the central feature and set boundaries。 Only after all that can the description of difference begin。 And it is everywhere: difference between genders within a given species， difference between species in terms of the way gender plays out in each， difference between what scientifically-disciplined observation concludes and what casual received wisdom spouts forth at any given point。 Plus there are differences over time， both in science and in received wisdoms。So what was he really trying to do in this book？ I think he is arguing in favour of gender as ultimately grounded in some "natural，" inevitable， fixed， given features that can be identified among viable groups of animals of a specie。 Such a very general argument would hardly seem worth making， though， if it didn't specifically oppose the argument broadly associated with feminism， namely that gender -- and it is very important to note that the contention is for gender in humans） is culturally constructed。 I find it difficult to quite dismiss the idea that our primatologist set out to pick a fight， to defend gender as a fixed feature of highly evolved species， scientifically， and turn the idea of gender construction into fluffy girl talk。 Those particular lines really didn't have to be drawn or defended as they were。 Many years ago （1964）， Leroir-Gourhan sketched in a theory of human evolution that framed the human capacity for technics -- for extending the animal's physical and cognitive powers -- it's strength， perceptual acuity， memory， etc。 -- by adapting materials outside its own body to serve these functions。 To oversimplify， it proposed that our technology IS our particular way of evolving。 Given available technologies relevant to sexual or gender difference in humans， and given， further， the unthinkable complexity of even tracing， to say nothing of understanding how these quite recent possibilities are playing out among individuals and groups， it doesn't really seem like a very good idea to insist on any kind of fixed， underlying biological reality。 Prof。 de Waal's book is highly readable and rich in examples of both very troubling and very heartening behaviour among our most closely-related primates。 One incident -- my very favourite in fact -- wasn't even about primates。 Rather it was an instance of altruism involving an ostrich， living in a zoo， and recognising the plight of an orphaned baby elephant。 It almost literally took the little one under its wing。 The book tells of a range of behaviours， mainly among chimpanzees or bonobos， from vicious， lethal competition to subtle， selfless diplomacy。 It makes for fascinating reading。 It does not， I think， make a convincing case for or against any one understanding -- including construction -- of gender in humans 。。。more
Sj
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He starts with explaining how gender is different from sex。 Then gives alot of examples of what he has seen observing animals， especially primates。
Stetson
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Different by Frans de Waal is an accessible， lay-oriented primer on what the study of primates can tell us about the realities of sex and gender in humans and human society。 This is another entry in the sex and gender wars， and de Waal， an eminent primatologist， is able to deftly parry the ideological thrusts of radical social constructionists and simplistic biological determinists。 Subsequently， de Waal appears as an insightful and reasonable defender of the lofty ideals of science and truth in Different by Frans de Waal is an accessible， lay-oriented primer on what the study of primates can tell us about the realities of sex and gender in humans and human society。 This is another entry in the sex and gender wars， and de Waal， an eminent primatologist， is able to deftly parry the ideological thrusts of radical social constructionists and simplistic biological determinists。 Subsequently， de Waal appears as an insightful and reasonable defender of the lofty ideals of science and truth instead of motivated ideologue。 This is exactly the type of sanity and clarity that is needed in this discourse。As the title suggests， de Waal's thesis is that the sexes differ morphologically and behaviorally for reasons ultimately rooted in biology， yet there are other important variables that shape sexual dimorphism and gender expression too。 He clearly and persuasively details the scientific findings concerning these issues， noting when he introduces his own theories or idiosyncratic perspective。 While relying heavily on the context of evolution theory without discussing it in much detail， he covers gendered play， the phenomenon of gender， prior misrepresentation of primate patriarchy， the neglected study of bonobos， sexual signaling， the mating game， violence， female ape hierarchies， parenting， and same-sex sex。 On several of these topics， including the extension of ape patriarchy and mating strategies to human society， de Waal is often much more generous than necessary to critics of biological explanations of gender。 He definitely selects from the empirical findings so as to provide a softer perspective that may be more persuasive to those with progressive political commitments。 Nonetheless he convincingly illustrates the existence of the sex binary in primates （this includes humans） and how significant portions of the "learned overlays" of sex， i。e。 gender， are adaptive or inherited behavioral patterns that are also present in our nearest extant ancestors， chimps and bonobos。 This suggests that these aspects of sexual dimorphism are conserved across all primates。Despite the implications of the substantial biological influence over gendered behavior， de Waal's regular refrain is that he is providing description not prescription。 He cautions readers to not let these findings discourage them from the pursuit of social equality and argues that activism done without an appropriate understanding of biology will do more harm than good ultimately。 Intriguingly， de Waal also takes time to make a strong case against mind-body dualism to finish of the book， which he correctly identifies as the philosophical foundation of a lot of radical social constructionist/environmentalist thought concerning sex and gender。 Despite some of the repetitive portions of the work， I strongly recommend this book， especially to young people in secondary school or college and avowed social constructionists。 Moreover， it is a great accompaniment to Carole Hooven's T: The Story of Testosterone， which covers the behavioral endocrinology underlying gendered behavior。*Disclosure: I received this work as an ARC through NetGalleyInteresting Excerpts"We live in a time when some people systematically hype sex differences as if they were everywhere， while others try to erase them by depicting them as meaningless""One of the early advocates of the latter position is the American philosopher Judith Butler， who considers "male" and "female" to be mere constructs。 In a seminal 1988 article， she stated， 'Because gender is not a fact， the various acts of gender create the idea of gender， and without those acts， there would be no gender at all。' Hers is an extreme position with which I can't agree。""If the gallons of ink spilled on the biological basis of altruism， warfare， homosexuality， and intelligence have taught us anything， it's that every human trait reflects an interplay between genes and environment。""Nevertheless， the dominant hypothesis remains that we carry the mark of Cain。""On nearly a dozen measures， without exception， men showed the stronger [sex] drive""It harks back to the most fundamental sex difference of all， the one that biologists use to define the sexes。 Our criterion is neither the look of an organism nor the shape of its genitals but the size of its reproductive cells， known as gametes。 Gametes come in two varieties。 Large ones are known as eggs， and individuals who produce them are known as females。 Small， often motile gametes are called sperm， and the individuals who make them are known as males。 In humans， eggs are one hundred thousand times larger than sperm， which is why scientists call sperm cheap and eggs expensive。""Differential investment still drives more hypergamous and monogamous mating strategies in women。 There are a number of variables that makes this more true for humans: reduced size differences between men and women， smaller testes， greater information like knowing paternity and social networks， increase parental requirement due to long maturation。""The mosaic of differences among these three hominids can't hide a few universal traits， though。 Males are more status-oriented， and females are more oriented toward vulnerable young。 Males are physically （if not always socially） dominant and more inclined to over confrontation and violence， whereas females are more nurturant and dedicated to progeny。 These tendencies manifest themselves early in life， such as in the high energy level and roughhousing of young males and in the attraction to dolls， infants， and baby-sitting of young females。 This archetypical sex difference marks most mammals， from rats to dogs and from elephants to whales。 It evolved thanks to the distinct ways the sex transmit genes to the next generation。""Mind-body dualism is out of touch with everything we have learned from modern psychology and neuroscience。 The body， which includes the brain， is central to who and what we are。 By running away from our bodies， we only run away from ourselves。" 。。。more
Susan Appleton
，
As always， Frans de Waal delivers a compelling book about humans， bonobos and chimpanzees。 His decades of research and experience shine through。 The book is about today's issues and question of gender。 I highly recommend this book - so relevant and insightful。 As always， Frans de Waal delivers a compelling book about humans， bonobos and chimpanzees。 His decades of research and experience shine through。 The book is about today's issues and question of gender。 I highly recommend this book - so relevant and insightful。 。。。more
Viral
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2。5， rounded up to 3 for Goodreads。 I have mixed feelings about this book。Frans de Waal did a good job of outlining a lot of where the field currently is on sex differences observed in nonhuman primate behavior， notably chimpanzee and bonobos。 Where I really dislike this book is his repeated interjections to give his own commentary and his own subjective opinions about what this means for humans， while also repeatedly saying this book isn't trying to pass judgement on what sex differences mean f 2。5， rounded up to 3 for Goodreads。 I have mixed feelings about this book。Frans de Waal did a good job of outlining a lot of where the field currently is on sex differences observed in nonhuman primate behavior， notably chimpanzee and bonobos。 Where I really dislike this book is his repeated interjections to give his own commentary and his own subjective opinions about what this means for humans， while also repeatedly saying this book isn't trying to pass judgement on what sex differences mean for humans。 It really feels like de Waal is trying to have his cake and eat it too。 Does he think we can draw conclusions from nonhuman primate behavior about the nature of human behavior or not？ If so， what conclusions？ It feels very messy and I didn't really enjoy it， but there was some useful science in here and he does make a point to be clear that he is not saying we should reify sex-based and gender-based hierarchies。 。。。more
luna
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I couldn't make it through this book。 I made it to Chapter 3 until I had enough。 There are a lot of unnecessary sentences in the text that frankly come off the wrong way， and don't really add to the author's argument。 Instead， it adds to the opinions of the author （not facts/evidence）， particularly through statements exemplified in the 3rd Chapter， such as "On the surface， the power dynamic is real， which is why you should never insult or provoke a man for no reason，" and "I am not sure that men I couldn't make it through this book。 I made it to Chapter 3 until I had enough。 There are a lot of unnecessary sentences in the text that frankly come off the wrong way， and don't really add to the author's argument。 Instead， it adds to the opinions of the author （not facts/evidence）， particularly through statements exemplified in the 3rd Chapter， such as "On the surface， the power dynamic is real， which is why you should never insult or provoke a man for no reason，" and "I am not sure that men can even become friends without at least some verbal pushing and shoving。" I wanted to see the actual argument strongly explored。 Maybe this just wasn't the book for me。 。。。more
Dan Cassino
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I was more than a little disappointed in this book。 De Waal， who has written numerous books on primate behavior， comes to this one with a simple thesis: that there are stable differences in behavior between male and female primates。 Therefore， to the extent that we observe similar differences between male and female humans， they cannot be explained fully through learned behavior or culture， but rather must be at least partially intrinsic。The good part of this book is his review， peppered with an I was more than a little disappointed in this book。 De Waal， who has written numerous books on primate behavior， comes to this one with a simple thesis: that there are stable differences in behavior between male and female primates。 Therefore， to the extent that we observe similar differences between male and female humans， they cannot be explained fully through learned behavior or culture， but rather must be at least partially intrinsic。The good part of this book is his review， peppered with anecdotes from his own observations of primates， of the social worlds inhabited by other primates。 He obviously knows the literature and the researchers in this area well， and reading these is like watching a first rate nature documentary。The problems arise when his trying to draw comparisons to human behavior。 Speaking as a social scientist who studies gender， it's clear that de Waal doesn't have the same command of sociology that he does of primatology， which would be fine if his argument didn't rely on it。Much of the argument is driven by his apparent belief that gender scholars think that all gendered behavior is learned。 We don't believe in a tabula rasa， I don't know any gender researchers who do， and to spend a book responding to a straw man is a waste of everyone’s time。Perhaps more importantly， the fact that primates and people have similar behaviors doesn’t mean that they’re not learned- it’s also entirely possible that they’re just responding to similar environments and social structures。 People all over the world use IKEA bags for laundry: that doesn’t make it an intrinsic human behavior or something all cultures teach their young。 It’s just a reasonable response to a problem that’s common across environments in which humans find themselves。I like de Waal’s work， but he really should stick to primates， or perhaps engage more thoughtfully with modern social science regarding gender。 He reminds me a great deal of the economists who waltz into journals with papers on sociology or political science， certain that their approaches mean that they’re solving problems no one has ever approached， but only demonstrating their ignorance at what their perceived lessers have already done。 。。。more
Maher Razouk
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معظم ممارسة الجنس عند قرود البونوبو ليس لها علاقة بالتكاثر 。 غالبًا ما يفعلون ذلك في مجموعات غير قادرة على الإنجاب ، مثل بين أفراد من نفس الجنس。 كما أنهم يمارسون الجنس عندما لا يزالون صغارًا على الإنجاب ، أو عندما تكون الأنثى حاملاً بالفعل。 البونوبو لديهم أسباب اجتماعية للجنس。 إنهم باحثون عن المتعة！！。Frans De WaalDifferentTranslated By #Maher_Razouk
Ryan Boissonneault
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In this review， I’ll make the case that this is the ideal book to learn about the controversial topic of gender differences。 But before we get to this， it’s necessary to spell out the crucial distinction between sex and gender。Let’s start with sex。 Sex is more straightforward and is driven by biology。 With few exceptions， all of us are born as one sex or the other， with noncontroversial and well-established anatomical， physiological， and hormonal differences between the sexes。Gender， on the othe In this review， I’ll make the case that this is the ideal book to learn about the controversial topic of gender differences。 But before we get to this， it’s necessary to spell out the crucial distinction between sex and gender。Let’s start with sex。 Sex is more straightforward and is driven by biology。 With few exceptions， all of us are born as one sex or the other， with noncontroversial and well-established anatomical， physiological， and hormonal differences between the sexes。Gender， on the other hand， is more complex， and is both psychological and social。 Gender can refer both to the subjective experience of identifying with one sex or the other （which may or may not match one’s biological sex）， or to the social roles and behaviors each sex is expected to adopt in society。The interesting question is to what degree gender roles and experiences are shaped by biology versus culture （genetics versus environment）。 This is where the controversy resides， and teasing out the relative influence of one or the other is more complex than most people suppose。What we probably know for sure is that those who adopt extreme positions in either direction are almost assuredly wrong。 Our behaviors are clearly not entirely driven by biology， despite what some right-wing authors want us to think， who largely use biology to legitimize favorable （in their minds） social dynamics。 Likewise， our behaviors are not entirely socially constructed， either， as there appears to be clear differences in the innate preferences of each sex。What are these innate differences， and how do we know they are driven by biology and not by culture？Essentially， there are three ways to determine what behaviors might be innate and driven by biology （and therefore unwise to ignore）。 The first is by comparing a variety of different human cultures to look for behavioral universals （cultural anthropology） ; the second is to study the behavior of infants and children not yet acculturated （developmental psychology）; and the third is to compare human behavior with our closest evolutionary cousins， chimpanzees and bonobos （primatology）。 By exploring these three methods of assessing behavior， we can see which elements seem to be more resistant to cultural modification。Frans de Waal， a primatologist by training and profession， obviously favors the latter approach， but in this book he utilizes all three methods to some degree （interweaving fascinating stories in his typical captivating writing style）。 In doing so， he demonstrates， quite convincingly， that there are， in fact， some clear differences between the genders that are driven by biology。 But here’s what I appreciate about the book and about de Waal’s approach in general。First， de Waal does not use biology to justify our current political and moral failings or to engage in self-congratulatory misogyny。 He informs us that we can， and often should， override our biological tendencies or preferences when those tendencies create unfair disadvantages for certain segments of society。 We are not prisoners to our biology， and therefore， in most cases， we cannot and should not use biology to justify our philosophical differences， especially when it comes to the subjugation of one sex over the other。Second， he notes that the latest understanding of primate behavior shows a more prominent role for females， particularly in bonobos， and that our conception of human culture as male-dominated is largely a social construction。 While it’s true that chimpanzees have a male-domniated hierarchy， there’s no special reason to use this group as a template for human behavior when we’re just as closely related to bonobos， who are female-dominant， peaceful， and sexually liberal。Third， de Waal describes himself as a feminist， but one of a particular nature。 He reminds us that it is not necessary to practice misandry to not be a misogynist。 I’m in agreement with him; women can do most any job a man can （and some jobs better）， and should be given equal opportunity and pay， but that does not mean that men are inherently evil， inferior， or deserve to be lower on the hierarchy， like some radical feminists might suppose。 Like de Waal， I’m not worried about white men losing their position or status in society， but I also have no patience for the position that one sex is inherently superior than the other， whether male or female。 We’re far better off adopting a position of mutual respect and tolerance and appreciating the differences between the genders that make life interesting。One point of criticism that may be directed at the book overall is the overemphasis on primate behavior， on the grounds that the behavior of chimps and bonobos have no bearing whatsoever on a human species that can use language and higher-level thinking to set its own behavioral agenda。 In my opinion， this is a rather conceited position to take。 Biologically， we are unequivocally apes， and even though we’d like to think otherwise—that we’ve entirely transcended our lowly bodies and ascended to a higher plane of existence—our behavior， which is at times embarrassingly similar to our chimp cousins， suggests otherwise。As de Waal explains throughout the book， while we can modify some of our behaviors via culture， other behaviors are more stubbornly fixed。 Gender identity and sexual orientation are cases in point。 Individuals that identify with a certain gender （whether it matches their biological sex or not） cannot be “socialized” into the opposite gender or sexual orientation。 This is why the medical community has labeled any of these interventions as pseudoscience。 Homosexual and transgender rights in large part hinge on our acceptance that it is not a choice， but rather a biologically fixed preference。 It’s ironic， then， that some liberally-minded individuals want to deny our biology altogether and claim that everything is a social construction。Overall， this book provides a refreshing perspective that walks the middle ground in the nature/nurture debate。 There are aspects of our biology that make the sexes different， and this should be celebrated， not suppressed。 On the other hand， our higher-level cognition provides us with greater behavioral flexibility to create cultures that promote the common good—for both genders。 And while we don’t have unlimited flexibility—we are constrained by some behavioral universals—we do have a greater landscape of possibilities than was previously supposed， as our bonobo cousins should remind us。 。。。more
Petra back on the island。 Mission successful kinda
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DNF。 If this wasn't an ebook I'd compost it。 The author says in the introduction， "My discussion of human gender relations will overlook some important issues。 Since primatological observations are my starting point， I will consider only related human behavior， thus leaving aside areas for which we have no animal parallels， such as economic disparities， household labor， access to education， and cultural rules for attire。 My expertise is unable to shed light on those issues。" So the first chapter DNF。 If this wasn't an ebook I'd compost it。 The author says in the introduction， "My discussion of human gender relations will overlook some important issues。 Since primatological observations are my starting point， I will consider only related human behavior， thus leaving aside areas for which we have no animal parallels， such as economic disparities， household labor， access to education， and cultural rules for attire。 My expertise is unable to shed light on those issues。" So the first chapter is all about sex differences in toys and pink and blue clothes。 How does this relate to his study of Chimps and Bonobos （the two primate groups he is using in this book）？ I do believe that gender is a spectrum， female to male or vice versa。 As with most spectrums， the average is somewhere around the middle。 We are different， but have many similiarities and those similarities are not universal， there is a different mix in each individual。 But the author doesn't think that way at all。 He thinks men have a potential for excellence， but women， well they can have babies if they want to feel accomplished。 So the next thing is a sexist rant backed up， not by studies of those primates but by 'surveys'。 Men， to feel fulfilled and successful need to excel at something - to be better at it than other men and better than women。Every civilization needs to offer men opportunities to realize their potential。 A recent survey of seventy different countries confirmed this difference。 Universally， men put more vale on independence， self-enhancement， and status， whereas women emphasize the well-being and security of their inner circle as well as people in general。To feel accomplised， women always have their biological potential to give birth。 It's the one thing they can do men can't。 A lot of the books I read have quoted Frans de Waal。 I read one book of his I liked Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape。 Then I read The Ape and the Sushi Master: Reflections of a Primatologist which had de Waal contorting his words in every possible way to excuse Konrad Lorenz providing the "scientific" justification for Hitler's murdering of the Jewish people。 When two groups that can breed are together， the interloper should be exterminated。 I wrote a review on this one， not the Bonobos though。 I hated the author。 Lorenz was his hero。 And now undercover of de Waal saying women get a rough deal and he's a feminist， he writes nothing but women are great at breeding and nurturing their social circle， success and achievement in the world， these are for men。 This is what happens if you don't read the introduction until well into the first chapter。 But introductions are usually so boring。。。。__________Notes on reading。 Toys。 Chimps。 My little boy who was a naughty little chimp and ruined Barbie dolls。（view spoiler）[ Toys and gender。 To find out if choice of toys is sex-based or culturally-induced， chimps were given both wheeled toys and plush ones。 The males chose the wheeled toys and were uninterested in the plush ones。 The females， they liked both。 So， maybe it is not boys being indoctrinated to like that sort of toy， but females being told those are boys' toys not for pretty little girls。 When my son was born， I decided to raise him without gender as much as possible， let him choose toys， clothes， whatever。 Well， the clothes thing didn't work。 He preferred to be naked around the house （and little paddling pool） and the rest of the time he couldn't care less。 But toys， he always had at least one doll， but 27，000 （view spoiler）[it felt that many stepping on them。 Lots of them were hidden until I was padding about softly barefoot in the dark。 （hide spoiler）] cars， planes and boats。We went to Toys R Us to pick out a gift for his namesake， my bff of the time's daughter， and I said he could have a present too。 He wanted a Barbie， it had to be a swimming Barbie。 I got it for him。 He and D played with it in the bathtub， washed it's hair and combed it， and then took it part， limb from limb to see how it worked。 D was a bit upset as she'd hoped to add it to her extensive collection of Barbies。 I don't believe that the all gender differences are social constructs。The author is keen to prove just that， that Chimpanzees and Bonobos， have different gender characteristics， and how that applies， or might apply to humans too。 It's very scientific and non-judgemental。 The author is very， very insistent not to take what he says about primates and go applying it to the present gender identity issues。 But I ask myself， else what is the book for？ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Ula Tardigrade
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It may be a surprise that in this era of political correctness someone dares to point out that men and women are different。 Worse still if this someone is an older white male。 But Frans de Waal is used to confronting the popular illusions and he has his lifetime achievements in tow。 And despite the premise， this book isn’t even as controversial。 De Waal approaches the subject as a scientist - a biologist and a primatologist， not as an ideologist， and thanks to his experience with other ape speci It may be a surprise that in this era of political correctness someone dares to point out that men and women are different。 Worse still if this someone is an older white male。 But Frans de Waal is used to confronting the popular illusions and he has his lifetime achievements in tow。 And despite the premise， this book isn’t even as controversial。 De Waal approaches the subject as a scientist - a biologist and a primatologist， not as an ideologist， and thanks to his experience with other ape species he has the necessary degree of detachment。 The book is very well written and engaging。 De Waal blends the theoretical arguments with recollections of his colorful career and dives into the history of science and changing attitudes about sex and gender。 Recommended to everyone interested in nature and psychology。Thanks to the publisher， W。 W。 Norton and Company， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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As a primatologist who's focused his career on the nearest living relatives of humans， this author brings a unique perspective on sex and gender。 He takes the reader on a magical journey， debunking old assumptions and helping us see the world anew。 Simple， straightforward explanations don't work the way some early researchers wanted them to。 The fact is， it's complicated。 Dichotomies like male and female， dominant and submissive， don't work。 Humans and apes are too complex to fit into neat boxes As a primatologist who's focused his career on the nearest living relatives of humans， this author brings a unique perspective on sex and gender。 He takes the reader on a magical journey， debunking old assumptions and helping us see the world anew。 Simple， straightforward explanations don't work the way some early researchers wanted them to。 The fact is， it's complicated。 Dichotomies like male and female， dominant and submissive， don't work。 Humans and apes are too complex to fit into neat boxes。 This beautiful， compassionate， and thorough account is a must-read for anyone who cares about gender， primatology， or human evolution。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
David Wineberg
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