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The Frailty Myth : Women Approaching Physical Equality
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The Frailty Myth : Women Approaching Physical Equality Hardcover - 2000

by Dowling, Colette

  • Used

Declaring physical equality to be the crucial final goal of women's liberation, a renowned feminist writer challenges the belief that men are "naturally" stronger than women. NPR sponsorship.

Description

Random House Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Used - Very Good
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Details

  • Title The Frailty Myth : Women Approaching Physical Equality
  • Author Dowling, Colette
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Condition Used - Very Good
  • Pages 319
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Random House Publishing Group, Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A.
  • Date September 5, 2000
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • Bookseller's Inventory # GRP73176404
  • ISBN 9780375502354 / 0375502351
  • Weight 1.34 lbs (0.61 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.5 x 6.34 x 1.22 in (24.13 x 16.10 x 3.10 cm)
  • Themes
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Library of Congress subjects Sex role, Women - Psychology
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 00028093
  • Dewey Decimal Code 305.407

Summary

Can women be equal to men as long as men are physically stronger? And are men, in fact, stronger?These are key questions that Colette Dowling, author of the bestselling The Cinderella Complex, raises in her provocative new book. The myth of female frailty, with its roots in nineteenth-century medicine and misogyny, has had a damaging effect on women's health, social status, and physical safety. It is Dowling's controversial thesis that women succumb to societal pressures to appear weak in order to seem more "feminine."The Frailty Myth presents new evidence that girls are weaned from the use of their bodies even before they begin school. By adolescence, their strength and aerobic powers have started to decline unless the girls are exercising vigorously--and most aren't. By sixteen, they have already lost bone density and turned themselves into prime candidates for osteoporosis. They have also been deprived of motor stimulation that is essential for brain growth.Yet as breakthroughs among elite women athletes grow more and more astounding, it begins to appear that strength and physical skill--for all women--is only a matter of learning and training. Men don't have a monopoly on physical prowess; when women and men are matched in size and level of training, the strength gap closes. In some areas, women are actually equipped to outperform men, due partly to differences in body structure, and partly to the newly discovered strengthening benefits of estrogen.Drawing on extensive research in motor development, performance assessment, sports physi-ology, and endocrinology, Dowling presents an astonishing picture of the new physical woman. And she creates a powerful argument that true equality isn't possible until women learn how to stand up for themselves--physically.

From the jacket flap

Can women be equal to men as long as men are physically stronger? And are men, in fact, stronger?
These are key questions that Colette Dowling, author of the bestselling "The Cinderella Complex, raises in her provocative new book. The myth of female frailty, with its roots in nineteenth-century medicine and misogyny, has had a damaging effect on women's health, social status, and physical safety. It is Dowling's controversial thesis that women succumb to societal pressures to appear weak in order to seem more "feminine."
The Frailty Myth presents new evidence that girls are weaned from the use of their bodies even before they begin school. By adolescence, their strength and aerobic powers have started to decline unless the girls are exercising vigorously--and most aren't. By sixteen, they have already lost bone density and turned themselves into prime candidates for osteoporosis. They have also been deprived of motor stimulation that is essential for brain growth.
Yet as breakthroughs among elite women athletes grow more and more astounding, it begins to appear that strength and physical skill--for all women--is only a matter of learning and training. Men don't have a monopoly on physical prowess; when women and men are matched in size and level of training, the strength gap closes. In some areas, women are actually equipped to outperform men, due partly to differences in body structure, and partly to the newly discovered strengthening benefits of estrogen.
Drawing on extensive research in motor development, performance assessment, sports physi-ology, and endocrinology, Dowling presents an astonishing picture of the new physical woman. And she creates apowerful argument that true equality isn't possible until women learn how to stand up for themselves--physically.

Categories

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 09/01/2000, Page 50
  • Choice, 06/01/2001, Page 1872
  • Kirkus Reviews, 08/15/2000, Page 1161
  • Library Journal, 09/01/2000, Page 234
  • Library Journal Prepub Alert, 05/01/2000, Page 90
  • New Yorker (The), 08/21/2000, Page 164
  • Publishers Weekly, 07/24/2000, Page 77

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