Bitch : on the female of the species

A fierce, funny, and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdom Studying zoology made Lucy Cooke feel like a sad freak. Not because she loved spiders or would root around in animal feces: all her friends shared the same curious kinks. The problem was her sex. Being female meant she was, by nature, a loser. Since Charles Darwin, evolutionary biologists have been convinced that the males of the animal kingdom are the interesting ones—dominating and promiscuous, while females are dull, passive, and devoted. In Bitch , Cooke tells a new story. Whether investigating same-sex female albatross couples that raise chicks, murderous mother meerkats, or the titanic battle of the sexes waged by ducks, Cooke shows us a new evolutionary biology, one where females can be as dynamic as any male. This isn‘t your grandfather’s evolutionary biology. It’s more inclusive, truer to life, and, simply, more fun. "It's a tale as old as time: the philandering man wants to chase sex with whomever, wherever, and at all costs--and to avoid supporting his offspring at all costs, too--while leaving a long-suffering wife to clean up his mess. You can find the idea in comedians' routines, inane self-help books, and any number of movies, novels, and television shows. It almost all comes from evolutionary biology and psychology, and the tale boils down to this: females are naturally submissive, passive, and maternal, while males are necessarily dominant, competitive, and promiscuous. And as Lucy Cooke shows in Bitch, it's almost completely wrong. In its place, Cooke offers a new vision of the female sex: depending on which one you choose, you can find females that are inherently as promiscuous, competitive, strategically cooperative, ardent, aggressive, dominant, dynamic, complex and variable as evolutionary psychology's stereotypical male. So how did the idea of the passive female get so entrenched? Tracing biology from Darwin to today, Cooke shows how the men behind breakthrough theories in evolution have infused their ideas with a massive dose of societal sexism. Cooke surfs the work of two generations of feminist evolutionary biologists, showing how they've pushed back against the blinkered views of evolution's founding fathers to reveal the true diversity of nature. She meets with pioneering scientists--Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Jeanne Altmann, Mary-Jane West-Eberhard, Patricia Gowaty and more--following their work around the globe. From the dominant female lemurs of Madagascar to same-sex female albatross couples in Hawaii to female killer whale elders in the Salish sea, Cooke takes us on a journey through a side of nature that's much less binary, less heterosexual, and less sexist than we have been led to expect. Fierce, funny, and revolutionary, Bitch is a scientific manifesto that shows us an entirely new perspective on what it means to be a female animal, with serious implications for all of us today"-- Provided by publisher Somewhere in the ocean, an orca matriarch is leading her pod to better hunting grounds. On a reef, a male clownfish, alone after the death of his mate, is changing sex. In Africa, two female bonobos are engaging in same-sex frottage. All the while, we human are locked in a battle over sex and gender: one side argues that evolutionary biology dictates how we should be, and the other that it's a patriarchal tool that shouldn't matter at all. in Bitch, zoologist Lucy Cooke tells a different story. Rewriting the science of evolution and sex, Cooke shows how a band of pioneering, feminist biologists have uncovered the dizzying diversity of bodies, brains, and behavior that evolution has created. Whether investigating same-sex female albatross couples or murderous mother meerkats, Cooke reveals a new understanding of what being female can mean, and, indeed, and how evolution itself can work. Never before in history has being female been so scrutinized, politically and culturally. Rising to meet the moment, Bitch is a fierce, funny, and revolutionary scientific manifesto with a new perspective on the female animal that is more inclusive, truer to life, and far more fun. -- From dust jacket Afierce,funny,andrevolutionarylookatthequeensoftheanimalkingdom Studying zoology madeLucy Cookefeel like a sad freak. Not becausesheloved spiders or would root around in animalfeces:allherfriendsshared the same curious kinks.The problemwashersex. Being female meantshewas, by nature,a loser. Since Charles Darwin,evolutionary biologistshave been convincedthatthemalesof the animalkingdomarethe interesting ones -dominatingandpromiscuous,whilefemalesaredull,passive,and devoted. In Bitch ,Cooketells a new story.Whether investigatingsame-sexfemalealbatrosscouplesthat raise chicks, murderous mother meerkats, or the titanic battle of the sexes waged by ducks,Cookeshows us a new evolutionary biology, one where females can be as dynamic as any male.Thisisntyourgrandfathers evolutionary biology.Its more inclusive, truer to life, and, simply, more fun. A leading zoologist takes a fierce and often humorous look at the females of the animal kingdom and subverts the prevailing opinion among evolutionary biologists who have insisted that males are more interesting