mcallan0627's review against another edition
4.0
This book is absolutely a conversation starter. It provides a different take on the changing gender roles in various countries as economies value varying skills. I found it interesting to think about the changing economic climate and how women seem to be adapting better than men to the demands of the market. This book didn't make me suddenly realize that women have achieved total equality and feminism has achieved its aims, as I hope it doesn't for anyone else. I'm sure that many liberties were taken with cherry-picking of some data and the exclusion of other data, as always happens with books like this with a strong viewpoint. I also disagreed with several points made by the author (as other reviewers have noted, her lack of recognition that rape and other sex crimes go woefully under-reported while citing statistics that the rate of sex crimes continues to fall was egregious). My thinking about this book, once I finished, was on a bigger, more general scale: as the social and economic restraints placed on women change, that has implications for the world at large, including the workforce and overall makeup of the "nuclear family." I found this to be an interesting introduction to that perspective.
hanakorc's review against another edition
2.0
I was really excited to read this book and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.
First, I was expecting this book to be more scientific (citing studies, drawing conclusions across cultures, etc.) and less anecdotal. Not only is it anecdotal, I have never read a book that made me feel more alienated from those of my gender than this one. I couldn't identify with any of the women's stories presented in the first two-thirds of the book. Who are these women? Am I some sort of freak? Is she just picking interviews that help her make her point?
For example, in the chapter on marriage she basically makes a case that women in college have two choices to make.
1) Hook-up randomly and be free to pursue your career and other interests without a boyfriend to drag you down.
2) Stick with your loser boyfriend back home and get married and have babies and most likely drop out or have an unsatisfying career.
I'm sorry, but these two options are not the only way to go about finding a life partner while in college. I couldn't relate to any of the experiences women were telling her about having a career and having/finding a husband.
Second, when she does present statistics she does it in misleading ways. Take this passage for example:
"From 1985 to 2002, girls' juvenile court cases increased by 92 percent, while boys' court cases increased by 29 percent."
This is a relative statistic and portrays zero information about what percentage of girls are in juvenile detention vs. what percentage of boys. It is really easy to increase a small number by 92%. Am I supposed to be alarmed that women are becoming more criminal? She didn't supply me with all the necessary information to decide.
Thirdly, she makes ridiculous claims like they are representative of entire cultures. I kid you not, this is a line in the book:
"The Netherlands, for example, is right now gripped by an epidemic of meaning. Despite various government incentives, Dutch women do not want to work full-time, because they would rather have their afternoons free for coffee with friends."
Really? There are so many things wrong with that statement.
The anecdotal nature and the blanket conclusions about "all" women and particular cultures ruined my ability to take this book seriously.
First, I was expecting this book to be more scientific (citing studies, drawing conclusions across cultures, etc.) and less anecdotal. Not only is it anecdotal, I have never read a book that made me feel more alienated from those of my gender than this one. I couldn't identify with any of the women's stories presented in the first two-thirds of the book. Who are these women? Am I some sort of freak? Is she just picking interviews that help her make her point?
For example, in the chapter on marriage she basically makes a case that women in college have two choices to make.
1) Hook-up randomly and be free to pursue your career and other interests without a boyfriend to drag you down.
2) Stick with your loser boyfriend back home and get married and have babies and most likely drop out or have an unsatisfying career.
I'm sorry, but these two options are not the only way to go about finding a life partner while in college. I couldn't relate to any of the experiences women were telling her about having a career and having/finding a husband.
Second, when she does present statistics she does it in misleading ways. Take this passage for example:
"From 1985 to 2002, girls' juvenile court cases increased by 92 percent, while boys' court cases increased by 29 percent."
This is a relative statistic and portrays zero information about what percentage of girls are in juvenile detention vs. what percentage of boys. It is really easy to increase a small number by 92%. Am I supposed to be alarmed that women are becoming more criminal? She didn't supply me with all the necessary information to decide.
Thirdly, she makes ridiculous claims like they are representative of entire cultures. I kid you not, this is a line in the book:
"The Netherlands, for example, is right now gripped by an epidemic of meaning. Despite various government incentives, Dutch women do not want to work full-time, because they would rather have their afternoons free for coffee with friends."
Really? There are so many things wrong with that statement.
The anecdotal nature and the blanket conclusions about "all" women and particular cultures ruined my ability to take this book seriously.
rhiannatherad's review against another edition
3.0
The book was well written and interesting, though super anecdotal. Mostly, what I got from it is that while women are working their asses off and becoming flexible and adapting, men are staying stagnant and resisting the change. However, the authors reaction to that seems to be "waahh, poor men, how can we help them stay on top." I mean, she doesn't come out and say just that, but she implies it pretty consistently. It's like she's saying, women's struggle isn't even close to being over, but how can we keep men ahead? Which I guess I just don't get. But maybe I'm just picking on subtleties that aren't even there.
mohawkm's review against another edition
2.75
There's some interesting items in here, particularly around how flexible women have been in adopting to workplace expectations and job types regardless of gender associations, while men (especially non-college degreed men) have refused to train into the currently growing job markets of care taking and teaching. Part of this is due to the depressed wages of these growing fields, but in general there's an expectation around what masculine jobs *look* like that isn't serving anyone well. These parts of the book are saddening and go a long way to explaining why women aren't as interested in creating nuclear families in lower income communities, even if it has only gotten more bleak in the time since this was written.
But on the whole, this book has aged poorly. Not only have we seen a doubling down of the fringe elements against anything that benefits women noticably and a reduction of womens' rights, but passages like this point out just how resistant even the upper level jobs are from having women take the top jobs:
Emily White, one of Sheryl Sandberg's young proteges, shares how she has adapted to lean in to her corporate job: "I've definitely tried to change my style and hold my tongue a lot more. I always actively ask for other people's opinions even when I don't care about their opinions. And I hedge a lot more and use softer language. It drives me nuts. I'm not sure how long I can keep it up." Rosin says of this attitude, "you get the hopeful feeling that this painful transition phase won't last forever, that we are closer to the tipping point than we realize, and one day soon there will be enough Emily Whites in power that they won't have to tread so lightly anymore."
If that alone doesn't make you want to throw something, then you may enjoy this book. Otherwise, there are more recent books that cover the polarized environment we are in where lots of women are embracing change but still facing a glass ceiling and a wage gap.
Worth noting that Rosin wrote a follow up article in February 2021 for The Cut, where she describes the progress of women in the workplace that is a big part of her book as "a high-wire act" that was mostly undone by the pandemic and the pressure on women to drop out of the workforce because they make less money and either wanted or were pushed into more childcare at home. This adds some helpful context to the book if you do choose to read it.
But on the whole, this book has aged poorly. Not only have we seen a doubling down of the fringe elements against anything that benefits women noticably and a reduction of womens' rights, but passages like this point out just how resistant even the upper level jobs are from having women take the top jobs:
Emily White, one of Sheryl Sandberg's young proteges, shares how she has adapted to lean in to her corporate job: "I've definitely tried to change my style and hold my tongue a lot more. I always actively ask for other people's opinions even when I don't care about their opinions. And I hedge a lot more and use softer language. It drives me nuts. I'm not sure how long I can keep it up." Rosin says of this attitude, "you get the hopeful feeling that this painful transition phase won't last forever, that we are closer to the tipping point than we realize, and one day soon there will be enough Emily Whites in power that they won't have to tread so lightly anymore."
If that alone doesn't make you want to throw something, then you may enjoy this book. Otherwise, there are more recent books that cover the polarized environment we are in where lots of women are embracing change but still facing a glass ceiling and a wage gap.
Worth noting that Rosin wrote a follow up article in February 2021 for The Cut, where she describes the progress of women in the workplace that is a big part of her book as "a high-wire act" that was mostly undone by the pandemic and the pressure on women to drop out of the workforce because they make less money and either wanted or were pushed into more childcare at home. This adds some helpful context to the book if you do choose to read it.
nipipis's review against another edition
4.0
Ļoti liels fokuss uz situāciju ASV, taču must-read grāmata visiem. Lai aizdomātos par dzimumu vienlīdzības jautājumiem, un par to, ka nevar turpināt balstīt dzīvi un sabiedrības iekārtu uz vecvecvecmāmiņu stereotipiem.
cassiewalek's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the intense title, Rosin presents a plethora of examples on the rapidly changing gender climate of the world. Instead of pinning men against women, she emphasizes how societal changes effect everyone. By understanding that patriarchy may not be around that much longer (relatively speaking), society as a whole can more readily embrace a world based on gender equality and justice.
I don't think this book should be the final word on shifting gender paradigms, and there are some over simplifications (like the bit suggesting rape/sexual abuse are not big issues any more). Overall, a good read that further sparked my interest in the changing roles of males and females.
I don't think this book should be the final word on shifting gender paradigms, and there are some over simplifications (like the bit suggesting rape/sexual abuse are not big issues any more). Overall, a good read that further sparked my interest in the changing roles of males and females.
maddieholmes's review against another edition
2.0
I was really interested to read this book but didn't end up liking it. The writing style seemed very list-like and didn't use any logical progression I could follow. I would have liked a more analytical presentation, the book was mostly anecdotal evidence.
reading_on_the_road's review against another edition
1.0
This would have made an interesting article in a women's magazine, but is a bit too anecdotal to be much more. It's an interesting theory, but while women are still fighting for the right to equal pay and maternity rights, I'm not buying that equality has been reached yet, let alone dominance.
lemonsquifficult's review against another edition
3.0
There's a very interesting point made early on in the book. Dirty work (household work) is dirty and boring and often very unrewarding, and women are flexible enough to do the fun work, but men don't want to do the grungy bits. I don't find "plastic woman" and "cardboard man" entirely believable in this context, but it did make me think.
Thought provoking stats (couples want girls more than boys in the US, so many girls attending college) and lots of anecdotes.
Thought provoking stats (couples want girls more than boys in the US, so many girls attending college) and lots of anecdotes.