Dr Moalem prophetically states that 'scarcely a century ever passes without a genetic calamity befalling humanity, either environmental, microbial or both, and genetic females outlast males every time'.ĭr Moalem attributes each of these female-specific advantages to the fact than women typically possess two X chromosomes (one from their mother and one from their father), whilst men typically possess one X chromosome (from their mother) and one Y chromosome (from their father). The chapter on immunity felt particularly prescient given the current COVID-19 pandemic. According to Dr Moalem, women typically outperform men in terms of their resilience, stamina, immunity and brain function and, as a result, he believes that females should be crowned the superior sex.Īccordingly, the first half of the book is dedicated to examining the apparent biological advantages that females possess, namely, increased longevity, stronger immune systems and increased brain function. The sentiment didn't fit with my current understanding of human biology and, perhaps more importantly, I didn't understand what the term 'genetic superiority' even meant.ĭr Moalem, an American physician, scientist and author, believes that 'there's only one way to judge overall superiority between the sexes' and that entails identifying 'who is left standing at the far end of life'.

While I typically welcome attempts to subvert the tired, old trope of women being the 'weaker sex', the suggestion that there is a genetic hierarchy aroused my suspicions. ISBN-10: 0241396883, ISBN-13: 978-0241396889ĭr Sharon Moalem's most recent book, The Better Half - On the genetic superiority of women, has a rather bold objective and that is to persuade you that women are genetically superior to men. The Better Half: On the Genetic Superiority of Women

Sharon moalem the better half