Elizabeth Gould Davis
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Gould Davis was an American
librarian
who wrote a feminist book called The First Sex
.
, USA in 1910 and earned her master's degree in librarianship at the University of Kentucky
in 1951. She worked as a librarian at Sarasota, Florida
and while there wrote The First Sex. She died in 1974.
She argued in The First Sex that congenital killers and criminals have two Y chromosomes, that men say they don't mind women being successful but require femininity when feminine qualities work against success, and that a matriarchy should replace the existing patriarchy. Prof. Ginette Castro criticized Davis' position as grounded "in the purest female chauvinism."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
who wrote a feminist book called The First Sex
The First Sex
The First Sex is a 1971 book by the American librarian Elizabeth Gould Davis, considered part of the second wave of feminism. In the book, Gould Davis aimed to show that early human society consisted of matriarchal "queendoms" based around worship of the "Great Goddess", and characterised by...
.
Biography
She was born in KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, USA in 1910 and earned her master's degree in librarianship at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in 1951. She worked as a librarian at Sarasota, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and while there wrote The First Sex. She died in 1974.
She argued in The First Sex that congenital killers and criminals have two Y chromosomes, that men say they don't mind women being successful but require femininity when feminine qualities work against success, and that a matriarchy should replace the existing patriarchy. Prof. Ginette Castro criticized Davis' position as grounded "in the purest female chauvinism."