What is Female Biology?
Over twenty years ago I developed a course for the upper-level biology major at the University of San Francisco called Female Biology. This was from what I perceived as a gap in the undergraduate biology curriculum- students were not learning about the evolutionary aspects of being female and studying the specific health-related issues unique to women. The information in the most widely used general biology textbooks written from a male perspective, focuses on research gained from male models by work conducted in male-led laboratories. This problem still exists. Women need greater representation in biomedical research, increased leadership roles in academia and healthcare as well as equitable pay.
The focus of the course is on the evolution of the female sex and the unique biological aspects of the female sex. There is also an emphasis on the inequities experienced by females as pertains to their health. Additionally, an effort is made in this course to recognize disparities in healthcare across marginalized female and transgender populations.
Why a Textbook on Female Biology?
Numerous higher education textbooks on women’s health, genetics, and evolution already exist, but none combine these important subjects. I have written a book that attempts to incorporate these subjects like other biology textbooks. This is a female-centered text whenever possible and highlights women scientists (past and present). I hope to increase students’ understanding of female biology, produce more well-rounded biology graduates, and perhaps inspire more young women to become scientists.
The topics examined here tackle what it means to be biologically female framed by evolutionary science. I designed the text for students majoring in biology who have already taken a first-year biology course. With a basic background in general biology, the reader should be able to understand the topics covered in this book.
Each chapter includes
- Student learning outcomes to help frame the concepts covered in each section.
- Think-pair-share questions and deeper discussion questions are designed for small group work to engage students directly.
- A list of key terms covered in the chapter.
- Suggested readings and interesting podcasts to better understand the topics covered.
The PressBooks publishing platform was used to make this textbook open-access and free. All of the content is licensed as CC-BY-NC-ND. This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. For questions or helpful suggestions for future editions please email me at jadever@usfca.edu
This is where you can write your introduction.
