Author(s): Lucy Cooke

Nature

In our fiercely contested social, political and cultural landscape, Lucy Cooke looks to the animal kingdom to ask what it means to be female.

Mother. Daughter. Ruler. Provider. What does it mean to be female? The female species has never been more scrutinized or politicised. As we search to define our gender, combat prejudice, and celebrate the myriad of femininity - what can the animal kingdom teach us about its true nature?

In Bitch award winning zoologist, broadcaster and author Lucy Cooke, takes the reader on a global journey to meet the animals and scientists that are helping to redefine female species and release it from the shackles of stereotype.Lucy will present us with a dazzling portrait of the female, introducing us to polyamorous chimps, alpha-female hyenas, menopausal killer whales and lesbian lizards. By showing us the spectrum of the species, she sets out to re-write the evolutionary labels that have come to define a gender and propose a new understanding of what it means to be female today.