The Female Brain

Nonfiction | Reference/Text Book | Adult | Published in 2006

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Key Terms-Introduction

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-7

Epilogue-Appendix 3

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Shifting Female Hormones

Brizendine identifies the purpose of her text as “to help women through the various shifts in their lives” (208), making hormonal changes a central theme. This focus first arises in the discussion of infantile puberty. Although Brizendine identifies some behavioral effects of female infantile puberty—like gender-stereotypical play, empathy, cooperative communication, and social aggression—the discussion of shifting hormones is intended to explain how the female brain initially diverges from the male brain, first genetically and through prenatal testosterone and then through infantile puberty. Brizendine argues that these early hormonal shifts create the biological foundation for the female brain: “Estrogen is priming these innate female brain circuits so that this little girl can master her skills in social nuance and promote her fertility” (42). The next emphasized hormonal shift occurs at puberty, which leads to sexual maturity and to the fluctuating hormones that drive the menstrual cycle. To illustrate the effects of shifting hormones, Brizendine uses Shana, a female teenager with PMDD. The examination of an individual with PMDD benefits the text by magnifying the effects of shifting hormones. Brizendine generalizes Shana’s experience to explain how female perspective can change throughout the month and to disseminate information about a relatively common disorder, PMDD, that may be overlooked due to cultural biases.

The next major hormone alteration occurs during pregnancy and giving birth. Brizendine identifies and discusses the emotional and behavioral changes resulting from shifts in hormones caused by embryo implantation, pregnancy stages, birth, breastfeeding, and bonding. Her presentation emphasizes that the hormonal shifts in motherhood lead to prioritize caring for others. This assertion is further developing the Chapter 6, where Brizendine posits that women display less anger while caring for children—“Cautiously holding her anger back may also have saved a female and her offspring from retaliation from men” (172). This perspective is carried forward to the discussion of menopause: Brizendine asserts that the shift in hormones now allows female humans to express anger more freely. This is exemplified through Sylvia’s marital discontent: “Her ratio of testosterone to estrogen was shifting, and her anger pathways were becoming more in line with a man’s” (193). Although critics disagree with her bio-essentialist approach, Brizendine’s continuous focus on the impacts of hormonal shifts matches her intent, which is to help readers understand the correlations between hormones and behavior over the course of the life of a person with a uterus.

Neurological Causes of Gendered Behavior

Given the title of the text—The Female Brain—gendered behavior is an immediate and prominent theme. The entirety of the book is devoted to contrasting the female brain with the male brain. Her position leaves out large swathes of the population, including transgender and intersex individuals, simultaneously creating multiple ethic, cultural, and class biases by focusing her discussion on so-called “normal” female experiences. Two divergences from the cisgender heterosexual normative include: case studies of female patients with CAH, a hormonal disorder, which are used to reinforce the argument that gendered play behavior has neurological causes; and the third appendix, which examines the concept that being gay is caused by genetic and hormonal factors. Brizendine intermittently downplays the role of culture in creating stereotypical gendered behavior. For instance, she assumes that all female teenagers would obsess over their bodies even in the absence of media influences, which have been shown to strongly influence individuals’ self-image. Brizendine’s critics target this dismissal of the role of social influence as a fundamental issue within the text.

The presentation of gendered behavior as neurological also incorporates misandrist tones, as feminine and masculine traits are pitted against each other. Just as stereotypical female behaviors are suggested to be inherent, so are male ones; however, references to male behaviors are often depicted in a negative light. In Chapter 1, Brizendine depicts Joseph—Leila’s male toddler counterpart—as aggressive and unruly. She also makes unfounded assumptions about male behavior, suggesting Joseph would not be able to behave in a restaurant and hypothesizing that a male twin would steal from his sister: “A brother would have grabbed the shirt he wanted, and the sister would have tried to reason with him, though she would have ended up in tears because his language skills simply wouldn’t have been as advanced as hers” (45). This presents male children as inherently more aggressive and less capable of communicating. At times, Brizendine contradicts herself. In her discussions on aggression, she posits that women exhibit aggression differently than men—socially as opposed to physically, but later asserts that males are more aggressive. She also reinforces the stereotype that males have a higher libido because of testosterone, but then later notes the contrary fact that “It takes much less testosterone to spark sexual urges in a woman” (227). These contradictions create confusion regarding the neurological causes of gendered behavior. The misandrist undertones, the disregard for socialization, and the reinforcement of gender stereotypes suggest that Brizendine’s position has been significantly impacted by confirmation bias, which has historically been the case in the study of sex differences.

Reproductive Roles of Female Humans

Brizendine’s bio-essentialist approach assumes that procreation is the ultimate biological goal for people, so her interpretations of human behavior center on reproductive roles. Female reproductive drive emerges as an implicit theme in the first chapter; Brizendine uses examples to demonstrate that female play inherently incorporates caretaking behavior, as shown in the case of the young girl who treats a truck as a doll. Male children are depicted as competitive and aggressive—traits linked with traditional expectations, which implicitly support the concept that aggressive men are more successful reproducers.

The theme becomes explicit in the discussion on teenagers, as Brizendine declares that becoming sexually attractive is the sole biological purpose of a female teenager. Brizendine’s declaration is not meant to tie a female teenager’s worth to her sexuality, but intends to stress the purpose of puberty, which results in sexual maturity. The hormonal changes trigger sexual physical development, including menstruation and breast development, and they trigger behavioral changes. Female teenagers develop a desire to attract male mates and to bond with one another. Attracting male mates directly aligns with female reproductive roles, while the female social bonds indirectly support procreation by helping women develop a social support system which will increase their chances of surviving and procreating successfully.

Chapters 3, 4, and 5—the three chapters devoted to analyzing fertile adult females—also foreground this theme. Melissa’s and Rob’s behaviors are interpreted in the context of their potential to procreate together. Their attraction demonstrates they are biologically compatible, and Melissa’s hesitations—identified as her skepticism of Rob’s earning potential and his future chances of infidelity—reflect a female tendency to plan for children. The transition of their relationship from passionate to calm and stable portrays a shift from partners focusing on each other to focusing on their children. Brizendine’s discussion of sex also assumes procreation as the ultimate goal, and she claims that the female orgasm evolved to give some level of control over impregnation. Fertilization can take place without orgasm. The notion that females can control fertilization with sexual climax is a deeply damaging concept, used to dismiss accusation of rape when sexual assault results in pregnancy.

Brizendine’s conceptualization of “mommy brain” explains the neurological and hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy and motherhood and by connecting these changes to behavioral responses. The role of biological mothers is emphasized, but Brizendine also asserts that many of the neurological and hormonal changes occur in males and in adoptive parents. The fact that non-biological parents experience similar changes and behavior responses supports the idea that procreation is a significant biological goal, which, in turn, supports Brizendine’s bio-essentialist approach.