The Gendered Brain

The new neuroscience that shatters the myth of the female brain

Gina Rippon author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:13th Feb '20

Should be back in stock very soon

The Gendered Brain cover

An agenda-setting, myth-debunking book by neuroscientist Professor Gina Rippon that demolishes the idea of biology as destiny and the myth of the male or female brain.



Using the latest cutting-edge neuroscience, Gina Rippon unpacks the stereotypes that bombard us from our earliest moments and shows how these messages mould our ideas of ourselves and even shape our brains.

Barbie or Lego? Reading maps or reading emotions? Do you have a female brain or a male brain? Or is that the wrong question?

On a daily basis we face deeply ingrained beliefs that our sex determines our skills and preferences, from toys and colours to career choice and salaries. But what does this mean for our thoughts, decisions and behaviour?

Using the latest cutting-edge neuroscience, Gina Rippon unpacks the stereotypes that bombard us from our earliest moments and shows how these messages mould our ideas of ourselves and even shape our brains. Rigorous, timely and liberating, The Gendered Brain has huge repercussions for women and men, for parents and children, and for how we identify ourselves.

‘Highly accessible… Revolutionary to a glorious degree’ Observer

A highly accessible book. It’s also an important one… it has the power to do vastly more for gender equality than any number of feminist “manifestos”… revolutionary to a gloriuos degree ... supremely clear-eyed … thought-provoking -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *
A treasure trove of information and good humour, The Gendered Brain offers thought-provoking perspectives on the latest debates about sex, gender and the brain. -- Cordelia Fine, author of TESTOSTERONE REX
Essential reading -- Katy Guest * Guardian *
A smart and witty addition to the literature on sex differences. Gina Rippon is one of the most outspoken scientists in this area, and she debunks a whole host of sexist stereotypes in her new book. -- Angela Saini, author of INFERIOR
[An] excellent…book… it will reward those willing to put in the effort… [and] put weapons in the arsenal of those trying to tackle sexism -- Rosamund Urwin * Sunday Times *
A brilliant and thorough debunking of the popular myths around sex differences in brains and behaviour. -- Dr Emily Grossman, broadcaster
A fresh and much-needed perspective on the gender debate -- Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of STEMETTES
The history of sex-difference research is rife with innumeracy [and] misinterpretation… Rippon, a leading voice against the bad neuroscience of sex difference, uncovers so many examples in this ambitious book that she uses a whack-a-mole metaphor to evoke the eternal cycle… a juicy history… [and] the book accomplishes its goal of debunking the concept of a gendered brain -- Lise Eliot * Nature *
Rippon…takes a scalpel to the research surrounding sex differences in the brain with precision and humour, exposing everything… [The] examples are what makes The Gendered Brain so enjoyable… [and] enlightening -- Sue Nelson * Financial Times *
Rippon… [writes] in a cheerful, no-nonsense style, she draws on a dizzying array of studies to conclude, rather thrillingly, that the premise underpinning over 150 years of scientific endeavour is plan wrong… a convincing case -- Charlie McCann * Tablet *
The Gendered Brain expertly and meticulously argues that essential sex differences are grossly overstated * Institution of Engineering and Technology *

ISBN: 9781784706814

Dimensions: 197mm x 130mm x 26mm

Weight: 314g

448 pages