Her book, she says, is the culmination of nearly 25 years of research she has conducted, ranging from recognizing talent in young girls to reviewing the achievements of older women. The failure of contemporary society and its institutions to notice stereotyping and the resulting prejudices that work against smart young girls in their formative years is a dominant theme in Work Left Undone . In the first part of the book, Reis examines specific socio-cultural messages and barriers that contribute to underachievement and lower expectations in gifted and talented women. She presents a massive amount of data from studies during the past three decades to make a convincing case that different and unequal conditions exist for males and females in our classrooms and work places. Males vocally dominate classrooms from kindergarten through graduate school and receive far more attention than do females.
Gifted women receive mixed, often confusing, messages - even from loving parents.
Similarly the work place is not immune from gender stereotyping. Women are woefully absent from corporate leadership in this country. Left Undone go to the essence of Reis's own research on gifted and talented women. The section begins with an exploration of the particular factors affecting gifted girls in elementary and secondary schools. Other chapters speak to the particular conditions, problems and successes of women artists, women in conventional careers, and older American women who have achieved eminence after the age of 55.