Popular Discourses on the Neurotypical Woman: Conformity,Authority and Post-War Femininities

Commentary on Asperger's Syndrome both within and outside of the neurodiversity movement relies heavily on the dichotomy between the socially skilled neurotypical or normal mind and the socially inept, but possibly brilliant, autistic other, who is usually male. These discourses often position neurotypicals—particularly neurotypical women—as an oppressive social force that hinders the individuality of men with Asperger's Syndrome as they impose compulsory sociality—the normative behavior associated with ‘social skills’ or the ability to understand and conform to the dominant behaviors and attitudes. At the same time, many women who have been diagnosed with high-functioning autism also regard neurotypical women as arbiters of conformity who gain cultural authority by imposing dominant norms and values. The popular construction of the neurotypical woman is based on long-standing gender stereotypes rooted in post-war discourses about normative femininity. More recently, difference feminism has revived these generalizations by suggesting that women think and act according to a feminine epistemology based on feeling rather than reason. Both the neurodiversity movement and the larger cultural mainstream continue to promote retrograde forms of female power based on a distortion of the empathetic and relational qualities commonly associated with women.