Material Girls
Why Reality Matters for Feminism
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
'A clear, concise, easy-to-read account of the issues between sex, gender and feminism . . . an important book' Evening Standard
'A call for cool heads at a time of great heat and a vital reminder that revolutions don't always end well' Sunday Times
Material Girls is a timely and trenchant critique of the influential theory that we all have an inner feeling known as a gender identity, and that this feeling is more socially significant than our biological sex.
Professor Kathleen Stock surveys the philosophical ideas that led to this point, and closely interrogates each one, from De Beauvoir's statement that, 'One is not born, but rather becomes a woman' (an assertion she contends has been misinterpreted and repurposed), to Judith Butler's claim that language creates biological reality, rather than describing it. She looks at biological sex in a range of important contexts, including women-only spaces and resources, healthcare, epidemiology, political organization and data collection.
Material Girls makes a clear, humane and feminist case for our retaining the ability to discuss reality, and concludes with a positive vision for the future, in which trans rights activists and feminists can collaborate to achieve some of their political aims.
Customer Reviews
Stock shreds trans lobby
In this in-depth empirical analysis of the trans industry, Stock sets out to debunk trans myths (e.g.: trans women are women) and makes a pretty good case for the existence of biological women. She uses humor to show the absurdity of trans theorists (poor Butler). A fact-filled and entertaining read.
Kind, thoughtful, and brilliant book
It feels so hard for a progressive parent to find information that feels balanced and thoughtful about trends in gender. My teen daughters are in a liberal community where literally none of their natal female friends identify as “girls.” We desperately need more voices like Dr. Stock to describe the dangerous medical and political trends while never shying away from celebrating differences in our identities with respect and kindness.
As an added bonus, Stock is an outstanding writer.