Leonard Sax | |
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 Leonard Sax, psychologist, with high school students 2009 |
Leonard Sax is an American psychologist and family physician. He is the author of three books for parents: Boys Adrift, Girls on the Edge, and Why Gender Matters. According to his website, he is currently employed as a physician at a healthcare facility in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he also resides. [1]
Sax grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, born to a Jewish mother Dr. Janet B. Sax (nee Berman), [2] [3] where he was the third of three children. [4] Sax graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in biology. [4] He completed a combined M.D.-Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. His Ph.D. is in psychology. [4] He completed the three-year residency in family practice at Lancaster General Hospital in 1989.
In 1990, he founded Poolesville Family Practice, a primary care practice in Montgomery County, Maryland. He began an extended sabbatical from medical practice in June 2008. [5] In December 2013, he returned to full-time clinical practice as an employee of Lancaster General Health. [6] He has written several books and held workshops at institutions such as University of Wisconsin [7] and First Presbyterian Church. [8]
Sax's work has attracted most attention, positive and negative, for his views on gender. Broadly, he supports the notion of innate differences between the sexes, and advocates parenting children differently based on their gender. A cover story for Time magazine on March 7, 2005, included this statement:
"Until recently, there have been two groups of people: those who argue sex differences are innate and should be embraced and those who insist that they are learned and should be eliminated by changing the environment. Sax is one of the few in the middle – convinced that boys and girls are innately different and that we must change the environment so differences don't become limitations." [9]
On his website, Sax says that he wrote Boys Adrift and Girls on the Edge because he is concerned about
"... a growing proportion of girls who are anxious, depressed, and tired; girls who can tell you a great deal about what they do but not so much about who they are. Likewise, we find a growing proportion of boys who are disengaged not only from school but from the real world. Those boys are comfortable in the virtual world, where they play their online video games, and/or surf the net for photographs of girls." [10]
Mark Liberman, a professor of linguistics and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, questioned on his blog, Language Log, many of the claims which Sax made in his first book Why Gender Matters. [11] Liberman asserted that there were serious problems with Sax's claims about sex differences in hearing, vision, and connections between emotions and language. [12] [13] [14] Sax wrote to Liberman, and, receiving no reply, in October 2010 on the website of Why Gender Matters, Sax acknowledged that points in his book were "out-of-date or inaccurate" and that his work, which was initially published in 2005, has been clarified by studies published by third parties in 2007 and 2009. [15] [16] He now provides updated references to scholarly papers on these three issues and he "expanded, updated, and corrected" the discussion of sex differences in hearing with a new article, "Sex Differences in Hearing", in October 2010; and the discussion of sex differences in vision is updated in Chapter 5 of his book Girls on the Edge. [17] [18] Sax provides a detailed refutation of Liberman and other critics in two appendices to the 2017 edition of Why Gender Matters, titled "Sex Differences in Hearing" and "Sex Differences in Vision."
Conservative opinion columnist David Brooks calls Dr. Sax's first book, Why Gender Matters, "... a lucid guide to male and female brain differences." [19]
Dr. Sax's second book, Boys Adrift, was reviewed by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in December 2007. According to the review, Boys Adrift is "powerfully and persuasively presented", and provides "excellent and informative references and information". The review concludes that
"Boys Adrift is at its strongest in providing practical advice to parents about how to increase their sons' academic motivation; how to set appropriate limits on video game use; and how to protect their sons from the potential harm of psychotropic medications and environmental estrogens. Boys Adrift is at its weakest in supporting the thesis that there is an epidemic of unmotivated and underachieving young men." [20]
Dr. Sax's third book Girls on the Edge was reviewed by Library Journal which called the book "... essential reading for parents and teachers, and one of the most thought-provoking books on teen development available.” [21] Mark Bauerlein, professor at Emory University, reviewed Girls on the Edge for the Chronicle of Higher Education and called it "crucial" and said that "Parents of ‘tween’ and teen girls would do well to check this book." [22] Booklist called Girls on the Edge "persuasive, often fascinating ... a holistic, sobering call to help the current generation of young women develop the support and sense of self that will allow them to grow into resilient adults.” [23] According to a January 2011 review in The Atlantic magazine, Girls on the Edge is "... the best book about the current state of girls and young women in America." [24]
The fourth book of Dr. Sax, The Collapse of Parenting is about how increasingly children are becoming less respectful toward theirs parents and how parents are becoming more permissive in their parenting style.
Sax's advocacy of single-sex public education has also attracted criticism. In 2008, The New York Times Magazine published a piece written by freelancer Elizabeth Weil, about half of which is about Sax (the other half is about single-sex education at, for example, the Young Women's Leadership School in Harlem, New York City). [25] The article asserts that "many academics and progressives tend to find Sax’s views stereotyped and infuriating". The article cites criticism by Michael Younger of the University of Cambridge as well as by Liberman. Sax responded on the NASSPE website that Weil's article is "awash in misrepresentations and distortions". [26]
Sax' advocacy of single-sex education was also criticized in an article "The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling" by Diane F. Halpern and others. [27]
Sax has contributed articles and made appearances in the popular media in a number of English-speaking countries. In the United States, Sax was a guest on the Today show during February 2005 and July 2007.[ citation needed ] Matt Lauer interviewed Sax about the controversy surrounding boys' achievement, which was the topic of the cover story in Time that week. [28] Al Roker interviewed Sax about his book Why Gender Matters. [29] In Canada, Sax was a guest in the Toronto studio of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for an interview broadcast nationwide in January 2008. [30] In Australia, Sax was a guest in the studio for the Today Show , interviewed by Jessica Rowe. [31] In New Zealand, Sax was a studio guest of New Zealand's Channel One in May 2008 for a discussion of single-sex public education. [32] In the United Kingdom, Sax was the subject of a full-page feature article in The Times . [33]
In May 2010, Sax was a guest on CNN's American Morning , discussing his book Girls on the Edge and some of the challenges facing girls in the era of texting and Facebook. [34] He returned as a guest on national television in New Zealand in August that year, discussing the girl-specific challenges of 'the cyberbubble'. [35] He was again a guest on CNN's American Morning during the same month, discussing recent research suggesting that ADHD is over-diagnosed in American schoolchildren. [36]
In May 2019, Sax published an article “Aus den Gemeinden von Burgenland: Revisiting the question of Adolf Hitler’s paternal grandfather” which attempts to provide evidence for the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Hitler had Jewish ancestry and that was the reason for his anti-Semitism. Although most historians agree that there was no Jewish presence in Graz between the Jews’ expulsion from the Styria region in Austria in the late 15th century and the reestablishment of communal life in the 1860s, Sax claims that there were some Jews living in the region. Sax points out that many Jewish people lived in places without official sanction and demonstrated the existence of a settled Jewish community in Graz before the law formally permitted their residence, saying that "Contemporary historians have largely dismissed Frank’s claim, primarily on the grounds that there were purportedly no Jews living in Graz in 1836, when Hitler’s father Alois Schicklgruber was conceived. This consensus can be traced to a single historian, Nikolaus von Preradovich," a Nazi sympathizer, "who claimed that “not a single Jew” (kein einziger Jude) was living in Graz prior to 1856. No independent scholarship has confirmed Preradovich’s conjecture. In this paper, evidence is presented that there was in fact “a small, now settled community” (eine kleine, nun angesiedelte Gemeinde) – of Jews living in Graz before 1850." And that, “The hypothesis that Hitler’s paternal grandfather was Jewish, as claimed by Hans Frank, may fit the facts better than the alternative hypothesis that Hitler’s paternal grandfather was Johann Georg Hiedler or Johann Nepomuk Hiedler.” [37]
Sax said during an interview, “I argue that one factor driving his anti-Semitism was his intense need to prove that [he’s] not Jewish.” [38] Sax has remarked about his research, “I have been thinking about the fact that neo-Nazis are offended by the suggestion that Hitler had a Jewish grandfather, because they hate Jews.” [38] He also claimed, “Jews are often offended by the suggestion that Hitler had a Jewish grandfather, because they hate Hitler. But now, as nearly a lifetime has passed since the end of the Third Reich, maybe we are free at last to ask — not what is offensive, or what is not offensive — but what is true? And what does it mean for our understanding of Adolf Hitler, and the Holocaust?“ [38]
Historians have condemned Sax’s motive and conclusions from his findings. British historian Richard J. Evans stated, “Even if there were Jews living in Graz in the 1830s, at the time when Adolf Hitler’s father Alois was born, this does not prove anything at all about the identity of Hitler’s paternal grandfather.” And, that, “There is no contemporary evidence that Hitler’s mother was ever in Graz, or that there was a Jewish family called Frankenberger living there. There was a family in Graz called Frankenreiter but it was not Jewish. No correspondence between Hitler’s father or paternal grandmother has ever been found. Nor is there any evidence for Frank’s claim that Hitler’s half-nephew knew about it and was blackmailing Hitler, as Frank claimed.” [38] With regard to Sax’s comments about his findings, Evans remarked, “Some people have found his deep and murderous anti-Semitism hard to explain unless there were personal motives behind it. This seems to be the motivation for Dr. Leonard Sax, a psychiatrist, not an historian, making his claims”. [38]
Warren Thomas Farrell is an American political scientist, activist, and author of seven books on men's and women's issues. Farrell initially came to prominence in the 1970s as a supporter of second wave feminism but has since become a leading figure of the men's rights movement. He served on the New York City Board of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Farrell advocates for "a gender liberation movement", with "both sexes walking a mile in each other's moccasins".
Hans Michael Frank was a German politician, war criminal, and lawyer who served as head of the General Government in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War.
Judith Pamela Butler is an American philosopher and gender studies scholar whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory.
Gender neutrality, also known as gender-neutralism or the gender neutrality movement, is the idea that policies, language, and other social institutions should avoid distinguishing roles according to people's sex or gender. This is in order to avoid discrimination arising from the impression that there are social roles for which one gender is more suited than another. The disparity in gender equality throughout history has had a significant impact on many aspects of society, including marketing, toys, education and parenting techniques. In order to increase gender neutrality in recent years, there has been a societal emphasis on utilizing inclusive language and advocating for equality.
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation, is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to the 19th century, mixed-sex education has since become standard in many cultures, particularly in western countries. Single-sex education remains prevalent in many Muslim countries. The relative merits of both systems have been the subject of debate.
Alois Hitler was an Austrian civil servant in the customs service, and the father of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945.
Sex segregation, sex separation, sex partition,gender segregation,gender separation, or gender partition is the physical, legal, or cultural separation of people according to their biological sex or gender at any age. Sex segregation can refer simply to the physical and spatial separation by sex without any connotation of illegal discrimination. In other circumstances, sex segregation can be controversial. Depending on the circumstances, it can be a violation of capabilities and human rights and can create economic inefficiencies; on the other hand, some supporters argue that it is central to certain religious laws and social and cultural histories and traditions.
Maria Anna Schicklgruber was the mother of Alois Hitler, and the paternal grandmother of Adolf Hitler.
Johann Georg Hiedler was a journeyman miller who was officially considered to be the paternal grandfather of Adolf Hitler by Nazi Germany. However, whether Hiedler was in fact Hitler's biological paternal grandfather remains disputed by modern historians.
Achievement gaps in the United States are observed, persistent disparities in measures of educational performance among subgroups of U.S. students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity and gender. The achievement gap can be observed through a variety of measures, including standardized test scores, grade point average, dropout rates, college enrollment, and college completion rates. The gap in achievement between lower income students and higher income students exists in all nations and it has been studied extensively in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.K. Various other gaps between groups exist around the globe as well.
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of single-sex schooling was common before the 20th century, particularly in secondary and higher education.
A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term girl has other meanings, including young woman, daughter or girlfriend regardless of age, the first meaning is the most common one.
Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.
Michael Gurian is an American author and social philosopher. He works as a marriage and family counselor and corporate consultant. He has published twenty-eight books, several of which were New York Times bestseller list bestsellers. He is considered, along with Leonard Sax, as one of the major proponents of the post-modern "single-sex academic classes" movement.
Sex differences in education are a type of sex discrimination in the education system affecting both men and women during and after their educational experiences. Men are more likely to be literate on a global average, although higher literacy scores for women are prevalent in many countries. Women are more likely to achieve a tertiary education degree compared to men of the same age. Men tended to receive more education than women in the past, but the gender gap in education has reversed in recent decades in most Western countries and many non-Western countries.
The Hitler family comprises the relatives and ancestors of Adolf Hitler, an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party, who was the dictator of Germany, holding the title Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler from 1934 to 1945. Adolf Hitler had a central role in the rise of Nazism in Germany, provoking the start of World War II, and holding ultimate responsibility for the deaths of many millions of people during the Holocaust.
Forbidden relationships in Judaism are intimate relationships which are forbidden by prohibitions in the Torah or rabbinical injunctions.
Sex differences in human intelligence have long been a topic of debate among researchers and scholars. It is now recognized that there are no significant sex differences in average IQ, though particular subtypes of intelligence vary somewhat between sexes.
Gender disparity in computing concerns the disparity between the number of men in the field of computing in relation to the lack of women in the field. Originally, computing was seen as a female occupation. As the field evolved, so too did the demographics, and the gender gap shifted from female dominated to male dominated. The believed need for more diversity and an equal gender gap has led to public policy debates regarding gender equality. Many organizations have sought to create initiatives to bring more women into the field of computing.
The Frankenberger thesis, also Frankenreiter thesis, is a thesis which has been disproven by historians that claims Adolf Hitler's paternal grandfather was Jewish.
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