Women, and Giftedness

A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness

by Barbara A. Kerr, Ph.D.

This fascinating book takes a comprehensive look at gifted girls and how they end up fulfilling their potential as talented, gifted women. Barbara Kerr is one of only a few researchers over the decades who has seriously contemplated the lives, both inner and outer, of smart girls in American society. She asks tough questions about whether they are achieving at the level they are capable of, and proposes what at first seem like controversial explanations for their behavior.

Let's start with the facts. Gifted girls do not go as far as gifted boys in achieving status, high pay, and fame in society when they become women. And yet, the vast majority of them (more than average women) report happiness in life. They tend to suffer greater problems with self-esteem, downplaying of their abilities, and lowering of their expectations as they progress through school.

These are the facts. They can be interpreted and reacted to in various ways. Kerr performs her analysis from a position of assuming that gifted girls should achieve high-status positions like doctor, lawyer, professor, and CEO at the same rate as gifted boys. That is, children with the same high potential should reach the same high level of achievement in life.

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