The Yentl Syndrome

Abstract

Yentl, the 19th-century heroine of Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story,1 had to disguise herself as a man to attend school and study the Talmud. Being "just like a man" has historically been a price women have had to pay for equality. Being different from men has meant being second-class and less than equal for most of recorded time and throughout most of the world. It may therefore be sad, but not surprising, that women have all too often been treated less than equally in social relations, political endeavors, business, education, research, and health care.Two studies published in this issue . . .