A review by industrialathena
For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women by Deirdre English, Barbara Ehrenreich

3.0

This book is a scathing critique of two centuries of so-called expert advice to women. Starting with the industrial revolution and moving forward through the '70s it is filled with example after example of "science" being used to justify all manner of vilification of the female. The chapter on the history of medicine is particularly shocking.

This work isn't as balanced or insightful as Ehrenreich's other gendered social history, The Hearts of Men, but the two works together showcase the way in which corporate capitalism is more responsible for the way we live now than nearly any other social factor. Given the original publishing date (1978), I would have liked to have seen more new material in this second edition, but nevertheless this is an excellent text for any woman interested in our history. If this book doesn't make you more skeptical and wary of medical advice and self help books aimed at the XX set, you weren't paying attention.