Product Description

Defines the Female System as an emerging reality--a system in which women are valued, first-class citizens. Now with a new foreword by Carol S. Pearson.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #494404 in Books
• Published on: 1991-12-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Ingram
In this pivotal work, the bestselling author of Co-Dependence provides the understanding women need to enhance self-awareness and clarifies what it means to be a woman living in a male-dominated society, which is often at odds with the way women feel.

About the Author

Anne Wilson Schaef, Ph.D., author of Women's Reality and Co-Dependence, is a lecturer, organizational consultant, former psychotherapist, and workshop leader who trains health care professionals throughout the world in Living Process Facilitation. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

A must for every feminist
While many concepts in this book must be undertaken with a grain of salt, this book will change the way you view the world. It is a foundation for feminism and for women who must survive in a male corporate world.

Some good insights, but awkward and dated
I once admired this book, but have lost some respect for it over the years. It can be pretty difficult to get into. The first couple of chapters are quite abstract, with the author writing about different realities and a pervasive White Male System that I felt was disconnected from my (White Male) worldview. However, the book becomes more and more grounded as it goes on, and the richness of Wilson Schaef's ideas help to redeem the awkward introduction.

For me, what the book does best is illustrate the benefits of shifting one's perspective. For instance, Wilson Schaef's take on responsibility: In her White Male System, responsibility is the targeting of blame, whereas in her Female System, responsibility is the willingness and ability to respond. There's merit in her distinction; after all, the former use of the word is far more pervasive, even now, than the latter. Yet the latter use is equally, if not more, true to the word's original meaning.

There are several other similar philosophical gems in the book -- her discussion of "levels of truth" stands out, as does her perspectives on time, community, and family. The chapter on the Perfect Marriage, though it seemed terribly abstract at the time, has surprised me often in its connections with my own reality and ways of thinking.

The book has serious flaws. Wilson Schaef is very locked into identity politics, in a way has probably turned off many potential readers. She also repeatedly claims that the White Male System is no better or worse than the Female System, but not once in the book does she point out anything positive about it. I found this annoying: if she's going to rip White Males (or our System), I'd rather she did it straightforwardly. Since first reading the book, I've learned that many of Wilson Schaef's ideas are drawn straight out of classical philosophy; sadly, she never credits Hegel, Kierkegaard, et. al. as inspiration. It's too bad, since one of the biggest flaws in her work is how imprisoned it seems in late 70's - early 80's feminist psychology.

Those flaws aside, it is worth reading, especially for those looking into the development of feminist thinking. For more cogent, challenging ideas -- and for higher-quality writing -- check out Marilyn Frye's "The Politics of Reality."

Affirming and Potentially Life-Changing
This book was recommended to me by a psychologist during a mid-life career crisis. As a pioneer in a traditionally male field (engineering), I thought I had a pretty good understanding of the effects of sexism on women's lives. This book opened my eyes to deeper levels of understanding.

Women really do have a different reality than men because our life experiences are substantially different. (The same is true for racial minorities.) In both our personal and professional lives, we struggle to adapt to and gain the approval of a rigid "alien" White Male Culture that discounts our unique perceptions and talents while insisting that we conform to limited stereotyped roles of its own choosing. In this constrained environment, most of us are only partially successful in reaching our goal of becoming whole, valued individuals. The resulting widespread personal and societal dysfunction harms us all -- men as well as women. What a waste.

A basic flaw in the White Male System is its closed-mindedness in thinking that it has all the anwers. Differences are seen as threats that must be annihilated. The world in becoming increasingly global in nature, and the toxic effects of this attitude will increase. To survive and prosper, our society must embrace and learn from other cultures, including minorities within the U.S. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

I only wish I had read this book many years ago. It is full of thrilling "Aha!" moments, as one truth after another is affirmed. I saw myself and many other people I know in its pages, and I now have a deeper understanding of our struggles and the reasons behind various life choices. The insight gained from this book could have saved me much frustration and battered self-esteem by placing my career struggles within a larger context. The Southern corporate culture is particularly deeply entrenched in extreme White Male System thinking, so beware!

I also found the "levels of reality" concept fascinating and plausible. It's exciting to see life as a progression of stages moving toward increased knowledge and maturity rather than as a narrow, stagnant rut.

Realization of the formidable obstacles we face makes the substantial progress women have made during the past three decades even more impressive. I wholeheartedly thank the author Anne Wilson Schaef and other feminist pioneers for moving us toward a more functional culture.