The Mismeasure of Woman

Though somewhat dated, this 1992 study of social, legal, and medical perception of the differences between men and women, is informative and thought-provoking.

Tavris sets out the thesis clearly in the introduction: "My concern is with a growing tendency to turn the tables from us-them thinking (with women as the problem) to them-us thinking (with men as the problem). Framing the question in terms of polarities, regardless of which pole is the valued one, immediately sets up false choices for women and men. It continues to divide the world into 'men' and 'women' as if these categories were unified opposites."

Still worth reading today.

A decent look at what is wrong with the discussion around women and women's issues in the modern world. The author dissects feminism without rancor, because she herself wants to see feminism succeed in their best goals. She presents a much more balanced picture than is often the case; the book avoids polemics.

One of the most common-sense, straightforward, and unpretentious texts I have ever read, it makes a single, coherent, and sensible argument: that women are people, too.

When a man is the measure of all things...women are always trying to measure up. The custom of treating man as the normal standard, woman as abnormal. The real differences lie not in gender , but in power, resources and life experiences.