Between Women: Lowering the Barriers
"extremely important... well-formulated.... Caplan is sensitive, intelligent and readable," wrote Phyllis Chesler. Four major, pervasive societal myths set girls and women up against each other, pushing them toward being competitors rather than allies. Understanding how these myths operate makes it easier to overcome the barriers between women, including in friendships, mother-daughter relationships, and the workplace. In this book, Caplan examines the female child's development, dispelling many long-accepted theories about women; for instance, instead of "penis envy" being universal, as Freud claimed, Caplan proposes the concept of "penis pity," which she has found in her clinical work. Based on scholarly research and both clinical and personal experience, the book is eminently readable and as true today as when first published.