Book Review: For the Love of Women by Dorothy Littell Greco

CEFR Level B2-C1

For the Love of Women by Dorothy Littell Greco (2025) is an accessible presentation on how misogyny is alive and well throughout US culture. The book’s focus is on healthcare, employment, government, media, relationships, and church. With 39 pages of end-note citations, this book is not unsubstantiated opinion. The evidence presented is backed by other evidence that readers can examine to see if they come to similar conclusions.

Greco discloses her religious bias up front. She then proceeds to write a book that anyone can benefit from. If a reader is looking for bible verses and Christian theological discussion, this book is not that. If the reader hopes for a discussion on the intersection of being a woman and multiple other factors, this book is not that. Again, this point is clearly stated in the introduction.

​If a reader is looking for a systematic consideration of how an ideology affects seemingly unconnected actions, then this is the book to read. For the Love of Women would likely also interest readers who enjoy learning about US history, culture, and the ideas that shape culture. 

In the first chapter, Greco writes “many people who engage in misogynistic behaviors or hold misogynistic beliefs don’t hate women” (4). In my experience, this is true. Some people care deeply about women, yet their actions betray a foundational belief that women’s “ideas, wants, needs, and experiences” (5) are less important than men’s. The example I thought of is how organizations often order “unisex” uniform shirts. I can’t speak to the male experience with these shirts, but I have yet to meet a woman who doesn’t complain about the fit. Not only is an ill-fitting shirt uncomfortable, it often leads to a woman feeling frumpy. Why should the men look polished and the women not? Before you dismiss a desire for properly fitting clothes as vanity, consider how a person’s appearance affects how much they are trusted, considered professional, or otherwise given advantages. I could go on with the ways “unisex” shirts disadvantage women, but I hope this brief example shows how making men the standard that women have to adapt to creates problems for women. If you think that I'm making too much out of nothing, read the book.

Chapter 2 may confirm a woman's experience in healthcare. Having serious physical symptoms dismissed as anxiety, being told the solution to floor-rolling pain is to tough it out without medication - the stories I personally know about go on and on. Chapter 2 helps explain the underlying history and assumptions that lead to such lack of care. It’s not that doctors are generally uncaring. It’s that they are trained in a system based on misogyny and that affects what they perceive as worth attention. Greco ends the chapter by advising healthcare providers to change to a response of, “I believe you and I’m going to help you figure this out” (44). 

As the book examines the workplace, the government, and the church, the evidence of misogyny's influence accrues. The refrain is the same: men’s needs, perspective, and reputation are prioritized. This prioritization makes life more challenging and dangerous for women. If you think I’m exaggerating, read the book.

For the Love of Women could be a depressing compilation of all the difficulties women experience and often accept as unchangeable. Thankfully, Greco uses the final two chapters to suggest ways to make things better. But first, she gives a warning. “The pursuit of healing [from the ways misogyny has harmed us] might lead to being misunderstood, rejected, or shamed” (144). Women know this to be true. Are men willing to take the risk to protect the women they claim to love? 

In Chapter 8, Greco gives us hope. Andrew Bauman did what was necessary to change from someone who had “a low view of women” (144) to someone who “supports women and helps his brothers become ‘good and safe men’” (146). The chapter then addresses ways to begin the process of turning away from the familiar and towards healing and love of neighbor. What gives this chapter credibility is that Greco spends several pages addressing the reality that not all people positioning themselves as helpers can be trusted. This acceptance of the tension between hope and reality keeps her comments from feeling like chocolate bunnies - promising deliciousness, but full of air and lacking in robust flavor.

Readers who are already sympathetic to Greco’s premise may find the last chapter the most useful. The section that explains the difference between allies, advocates, and interrupters in the context of misogyny may be particularly helpful. 

On the other hand, this chapter is the one where Greco’s religious beliefs are most prominent. She says, “without hope, our imaginations will be fettered” (183) and then expands “what we put our hope in matters” (184). The following paragraphs make it clear that she believes our hope should be in the Christian God’s desire to have a world filled with “healing, reconciliation, and justice” (184). Nevertheless, the book ends with a hopeful reminder that religious and secular people are working together to prioritize equality.

For the Love of Women could be read for purposes beyond personal enrichment. I could see this book being used as the foundation for a high school social studies class. Each chapter would allow the teacher to guide a discussion where students share their experiences and perspectives. That same format could be used in a bible study, if the facilitator were very brave and had training and experience in leading emotionally charged discussions. 

For whatever reason For the Love of Women is read, it is worth reading and carefully considering the evidence presented. If a person lives in the US, they are affected by misogyny. If you don’t believe me, read the book.