Engendered Lives: A New Psychology of Women's Experience

Engendered Lives, by Ellyn Kaschak, is an exceptionally moving book about the ways in which patriarchal worldviews and misogynistic constructions have entrapped both women and men in the roles which damage them-for life, and for generations of life. Dr. Kaschak's working premise, which she clearly develops throughout her book, is that "no aspect of experience escapes being gendered and assigned meaning." Stated more pointedly, living without gender knowledge is like living without meaning. Dr. Kaschak is at her best in this book when she illustrates the many ways in which the knowing of one's own or another's gender becomes the equivalent of a complex set of sociocultural rules. She provides a twist on Freud's statement, "Biology is destiny." Our experiences tell us that biology doesn't have to be, but certainly has become, a cruel destiny for females but a kinder one for males. For a complete reprint of this article contact Haworth Press by telephone (1-800-HAWORTH) or EMail (getinfo@haworthpressinc.com). Article copyright The Haworth Press, Inc.