Kerber says “Studies have shown that married women who earn money have a more emphatic role in family decision making than those who do not.”
I never trust the phrase, “studies show.” I have seen too many instances where someone else gets a hold of the original data and “shows” the opposite conclusion. Better to say, "authors of studies argue." Worse, she not only fails to give the data supporting the study, she does not even cite the studies so that readers may look them up and analyze them for themselves.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting catch. Especially due to the Kerber's argument. Part of her argument is linked to the ability of language and technical knowledge to obscure reality. Therefore, by placing comments like this into her work, it seems as though Kerber may be obscuring reality for the reader. She claims a position of authority by referencing past studies, however, by not citing them or providing them, she may be equally guilty of what she is indicting.
Mark