Second Review of A Billion Years of Sex Differences!
Stewart-Williams "wants to promote a more nuanced, scientifically rigorous public conversation about why and how men and women differ " - Sophie McBain, The Guardian
The second review of A Billion Years of Sex Differences just dropped!
This one’s by Sophie McBain in The Guardian. The Guardian tends to lean progressive, so I had wondered how the book would be received. But it’s a very thoughtful review, and a very positive one overall.
The opening paragraph summarizes the book nicely:
According to the evolutionary psychologist Steve Stewart-Williams, almost everyone gets sex wrong. Traditionalists tend to exaggerate the natural differences between men and women. Progressives tend to minimise them, and to assume that nurture and socialisation play a decisive role. He wants to promote a more nuanced, scientifically rigorous public conversation about why and how men and women differ to guide better policymaking.
McBain adds that the “book is filled with interesting, counterintuitive findings, studies you might want to discuss with a friend.”
There are some parts of the review that I’d quibble with and that I think McBain gets wrong. For example, she claims I don’t discuss our history of anti-female bias, but I do. And she suggests that it’s rather convenient to focus on innate influences rather than the structure of the workplace, when I argue we should focus on both.
But none of her criticisms are particularly unreasonable or unfair, and my overall impression is that she’s sincerely engaged with ideas that are outside her comfort zone. Who could ask for more?
You can read the whole review here. And if you’d like a copy of the book, you can order it from the Guardian Bookshop at a discount.
Follow me on Twitter/X for more psychology, evolution, and science.
Upgrade to a Paid Subscription
To help support my work, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. A paid subscription will get you: (1) full access to all new posts and the archive, (2) full access to my “12 Things Everyone Should Know” posts, Linkfests, and other regular features, and (3) the ability to post comments and interact with the N3 Newsletter community.
Thanks!
Steve
