THE OPPOSITE SEX: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Differences Between the Sexes

by Anne--Ed. Campbell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 1989

Volume II of a human-behavior series that began with Eye to Eye (1988): a copiously illustrated explication of inborn and societal causes for male-female differences that takes us from womb to adulthood. The 27 contributors here, along with editor Campbell, have synthesized a mass of scientific and cultural studies, and now cite new research indicating that fetal hormones react with the developing brain--which may account for some sex-behavior differences in thinking and reasoning. Women, for instance, have greater interaction between the left and right brain and are more verbal: men tend to be more exclusively right-brained and have greater visual-spatial ability. In infancy and childhood, boys are more muscular, sleep less, and are more prone to rough-and-tumble play; girls tend to stick close to mothers at one year, and to be more obedient and talkative. Early nurture reinforces sex differences and instills ""sex-appropriate"" behavior. Fathers talk more to sons; mothers to daughters. The developing child learns that men more frequently appear as leaders or aggressors in newspapers, TV shows, advertisements, etc. The chapters on adulthood stress the limitations that sexual stereotyping has placed on most women--and the problems it can cause for some men. Replete with full-color photographs (a few somewhat sexually explicit), graphs, and charts, lucidly but innocuously written, this volume could appeal to families with growing children.

Pub Date: March 22, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Salem

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1989

Categories: NONFICTION