Published in Amsterdam University Press, 2002
Why did you decide to write this book?
Because during my career I felt increasingly uncomfortable with the male attitudes and language in the business world. Later on I discovered that there must be a link between priorities on economical versus ecological considerations, and a tendency to prefer male over female qualities. I was curious why it was so and how it came about in human society.
Who will find your book interesting?
People who feel that there is something wrong with the perception of male and female in their daily lives, who want to know why, but who haven’t got the time to investigate the reasons. This book offers them a non-academic but very revealing overview of the origins of these perceptions through the history of gender relations, up to now.
What is your conclusion from the research?
My conclusion is that there are clear differences between women and men, both biologically and culturally, but that through erroneous assumptions and social misconceptions these differences have been exaggerated and transformed into radical distinctions. We must and we can rediscover the humanity of each person, instead of defining him or her in terms of the male and female stereotypes.
Read the full interview from Op zoek in pdf.
Interview with the author of ‘Closing the Gap’ Allerd Stikker