Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality

The idea of gender inequality is not a new problem, it has been an issue for thousands of years. In 1929, the esteemed British novelist Virginia Woolf posed a question and statement that will forever be remembered among feminists. In her time, Woolf was concerned about why there were no women mentioned as authors or main contributors to literacy in Shakespeare’s era. Thanks to her comments, the modified phrase, and the title of this informational piece are rightly said as Anonymous is a Woman. Nina Ansary has committed her research in this book to helping women receive the recognition they deserve by delivering statistics to prove her points and recognizing women from history who accomplished amazing feats for their time and received little to no praise. The statistics that Ansary delivers are astounding; even taking into account the statistics from a decade ago, so many countries around the world still practice gender-based discrimination, and by doing this they are degrading women. Even in the area of death, women are underrepresented in obituaries compared to men! Pulling from different worldly theories, Ansary compares gender inequality to the Chinese yin-yang to illustrate how men and women must be able to work together in order to make a successful whole instead of mediocre halves. To break down the barrier of gender inequality will allow for our society to function at its peak performance (which we’ve yet to see) by bringing in more money for the economy and increased self-esteem among all the citizens of the world.

The facts that Ansary presents cannot be ignored, but unfortunately will fall onto deaf ears when heard among most men. The format in which they are presented in this book is pleasing; the facts that promote the issue are presented in the first half, then the lives and contributions of many women from history are briefly discussed. The beginning of each new woman to be addressed includes a gorgeous painting of them, putting a possible face to each name with wispy watercolor strokes of grays, browns, and blacks. The women presented did remarkable things, not just for a woman but for any human being. Some of the occupations of these women include being the first known, or most successful for her time, astronomer, chemist, medic, mathematician, designer of astrolabes, poet, anatomist, resistance leader, philosopher, composer, creator of aquariums, worker on global warming, painter, and surgeon, among many more. Immersing yourself in this book will prove beneficial to your historical knowledge, as well as your appreciation for women. Not only a women’s book, Anonymous is a Woman can be a learning tool for men and women alike, with insightful information galore.