The sexual paradox

The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap takes a hard look at how fundamental sex differences play out in the workplace.   By comparing fragile boys who later succeed, with high achieving women who opt out, Susan Pinker turns several  assumptions upside down:  that the sexes are biologically equivalent, that smarts are all it takes to succeed and that men and women have identical interests and goals.  After decades of women's educational coups  and rising through the ranks, men still outnumber women in business, physical science, law, engineering and politics.  In explaining this ratio, Pinker’s controversial stance is that discrimination plays just a bit part. If the majority of children with school and behavioral problems are boys, then why do so many overcome early obstacles, while rafts of high achieving women choose jobs that pay less or opt out at pivotal moments in their careers?

A provocative examination of how and why learning and behavioral gaps in the nursery are reversed in the boardroom, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap reveals how sex differences influence ambition and  success.  Through real men’s and women’s stories, combined with research evidence and examples from popular culture, Susan Pinker examines how weaknesses can become strengths,  and why early achievements do not automatically translate into standard career triumphs.