This week’s roundup of our favorites from across the interwebs to help you make sense of men and women.
1. Do American Women Need Guns? Self-Defense Pro Paxton Quigley Says Yes by Abigail Pesta of The Daily Beast says that as the debate over gun control rages in the wake of the Colorado shootings, one self-defense expert says that handguns play an important role in society: They stop rape.
2. How Our Popular Notion of Romance Keeps Failing Us by Jake Blumgart of Alternet.org says Eva Illouz’s new book, Why Love Hurts, is an in-depth analysis of the reasons our contemporary understanding of romance fails to satisfy us.
3. Divorcé’s Guide to Marriage by Elizabeth Bernstein of The Wall Street Journal reports on a study that reveals five common themes that underlie most divorces.
4. Sexy Like Mom by Tracy Clark-Flory of Salon.com says a new study raises old questions about how to prevent early sexualization of girls. It’s mothers, not just media.
5. Maternity Leave? It’s More Like a Pause by Elissa Gootman and Catherine Saint Louis of The New York Times says for women at the top of their profession or running their own show, the decision to not take a traditional leave can feel like an empowering choice—and at the same time, not a choice at all.
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