Chapter 6 Give and Take Summary and Analysis

Mary Catherine Bateson takes a fresh look at the words symmetry and equality in this chapter. She points out that all five women interviewed for this book have sought out relationships with people who are different not equal. They are not looking for symmetrical relationships. Instead, they want collaborations that are complementary, where each side has something new and different to contribute. This creates interdependence—a term Mary believes we should be striving for in relationships.

Historically, male-female relationships have been asymmetrical in that the man is often superior to the woman and bigger, stronger, smarter, and makes more money. Through a period of raising consciousness that started in the 1960s, women have come to realize that they have much value to add to this world, and they are not inferior.

At first, the...