Gender Mosaic: Beyond the myth of the male and female brain

For generations we've been taught that the brains of men and women differ in profound and important ways. According to this myth, the female brain has large communication and emotion centres and is hardwired for empathy. The male brain, on the other hand, has large sex and aggression centres and is hardwired for building systems. This story seems to provide us with a neat biological explanation for much of what we encounter in day-to-day life. It explains why women are perceived as more sensitive and emotional whereas men are seen as more aggressive and sexual; why most teachers are women and most engineers are men. But is it actually true?

According to neuroscientist Professor Daphna Joel, it's not. In Gender Mosaic she sets out a bold and compelling argument that completely debunks the notion of gendered brains. Drawing on the ground-breaking results of her own studies and the latest scientific evidence, Professor Joel explains that every individual human brain is actually a unique mixture - or mosaic - of 'male' and 'female' features, and that these features don't map neatly into two categories. With urgent practical implications for the way we understand the world around us, Gender Mosaic is a fascinating look at the science of gender - how it works, its history and its future - and a sorely needed investigation into the false basis for many of our most fundamental questions.