Are human beings innately aggressive? Does biology condemn women to remain the “second sex?” Taking up such biases cloaked as the findings of science, Reed explains that the disciplines closest to human life—anthropology, biology, and sociology—are permeated with rationalizations for the oppression of women and the maintenance of the established capitalist order.

“Her review of the present state of Anthropology is valuable. She excels in historical reviews of literature and theory.” —Canadian Newsletter of Research on Women

“Reed attacks the sexism that has flawed scientific analysis…and the downgrading of 19th-century anthropologists’ evolutionist reasoning.” —Choice

“The essays examine the presence of sexist stereotypes and preconceptions in the biological and social sciences, especially primatology, sociobiology, and anthropology.” —Book News