Female Brain (book)

As a philosopher working in the philosophy of science and in the relationship between science amd values I looked forward to this book since I hold a view that biology is at the basis of our behaviour.

In some ways this is a great book, but it is seriously flawed.

Dr. Brizendrine provides a bioogical or hormonal explanation for various female behavioural patterns, from infancy to old age showing how hormones affect behaviour. This aspect of the book is excelllent. It is important to know that so much of our behaviour is based on our biological makeups. In this regard the book is a wonderful corrective to the extreme views regarding the social construction of our behaviour.

But this last point brings up the book's weakness since there is virtually no mention made of the social context of the behaviours discussed. The forms and specific aspects of our behaviours are socially constructed. Different societies struucture their respective behaviours differently. It is our biology that makes us human. But to just present how biology can effect or even determine some behaviours in insufficient since we also need to know how these hormonal changes can affect different women in different cultures.

So, on the one hand, it is great to see a serious discussion of how hormones affect behaviour, but on the other hand, more time should have been paid to the social context of these specific behaviours.