Ever wondered why inequality persists at work, despite DEI initiatives and numerous training programs aimed at addressing it? Cordelia Fine analyzes the current methods for combating inequality, examining their intended purpose and how they fall short, including their negative impact on men. She then provides some ideas for how we can get closer to true equality at work.

Patriarchy Inc. is a well-researched academic text for an audience with a beginner-to-intermediate level of familiarity with the social issues surrounding gender in the labor market. I have done some prior reading on the topic so while there were some portions of this book that served as “refreshers” for me, there were still enough theories and ideas to chew on and keep me engaged. I really enjoyed how Fine presents a sort of dichotomy between the concept of evolutionary biology and cultural evolution, and presents a compelling argument for the latter. I appreciate that the last chapter of the book dealt with potential solutions for the problems outlined within the rest of the text, but would have preferred these ideas interwoven into the text a bit more, or an exploration of some solutions that have been attempted and were successful, or not. Overall a worthwhile and well-argued text.