Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements Part I: Context and Methodology 1. Molecular Biology from a Feminist Perspective An Introduction 2. Bridging the Gulf Feminism and Molecular Biology 3. Methodology Part II: Gender Ideology in the Content of Molecular Biology 4. Sex and the Single Cell Distorting Genetics 5. Sex and Molecules From Hormones to Brains 6. From Menstruation to DNA Centralized Control 7. Power at a Price Unifying Principles Part III: Science and Society in Molecular Biology 8. Molecular Biology Disinterested Science? Conclusion: Strengthening the Bridge Appendix A. Fields of Graduate Study in Biology Appendix B. Field Definitions from Peterson's Guide Appendix C. Fields and Techniques Notes Index

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Calls for a cooperative relationship between science and feminism and helps us understand science in the social, economic, and political contexts in which it is inextricably enmeshed

Reviews

"... this is an outstanding book. Closely argued and clearly written, it offers astonishing insights into the alchemy by which ideology gets transmuted into scientific fact." - Women and Health "... a significant contribution for those positioned at the nexus of rhetoric, feminism, and science...richly detailed analysis that demonstrates how ideological underpinnings shape both the construction of science and a discipline that claims to hold answers to the mysteries of life." - Quarterly Journal of Speech "As a molecular biologist and women's studies director, Spanier's expertise and awareness of these two fields converge in her knowledgeable discussion of the formal representations of molecular biology and their inherent gender ideology." - Choice " ... an eye-opening introduction to the way philosophical views influence biology. Physicians should sit up and take special notice of Spanier's work. If harmful, unexamined social assumptions penetrate the core of biology, it is doubtful that the rest of biology is untouched by them." - Journal of the American Medical Association "Spanier's critique brings the strengths of feminist science theory to the heart of contemporary science. Moreover, Spanier speaks to natural scientists and to feminist scholars as a scientist, and that is especially valuable to both groups. The book is original, interesting, ambitious, and well-conceptualized." Sandra Harding