Why do men dominate the women's studies section with lame and offensive questions about women?

Question

Whenever I come over to the women's studies category, it is inundated with posts from men who apparantly have poor opinions of women and post horrible and offensive questions to and regarding women. Any one know why? And extra credit if you can state what type of questions should be in women's studies.

Answer 1

Because they just can't stand not knowing what's going on over there in women's studies. Heaven forbid, we might talk about them! Nosy creatures.
And their comments are somewhat akin to the male habit of needing to rule the remote control---it is a control issue. If they post their nasty cracks, we get off of our own topics and address whatever they've chosen to introduce instead. It's just that male need to be the center of attention and run the show. Boys...

I think that women's studies questions should include women in history, different females' impacts on history, women in politics, various studies or research projects that people are interested in, women in literature, their place in religions throughout history, all that type of stuff. Things that truly are discussed in women's studies classes.
Or really, since this is not college, it should be allowed to include anything that women want to address. How about the known patterns of domestic violence, adult tendencies to unconsciously seek out abusers when one was abused in childhood, the same with how women are affected by growing up in an alcoholic household, etc.? Discussing these things can help to educate, and to point out patterns that women usually aren't aware of in their own lives.
Or, to lighten it up, so has anyone seen "The Devil Wears Prada?". :-) That's a woman's topic, isn't it?

Answer 2

These are probably men who could severely use a lesson in Women's studies. The best thing to do would be to use the report abuse link if the question or answer is offensive, or even just miscategorized. On the other hand, if the question is just lame, but seems honest, it still needs an answer. Maybe you can teach someone something. Personally, I tend to avoid Women's studies as a branch of sociology, simply because it has a tendency to demonize men with generalities- thus accomplishing the same oppression it's trying to rectify (In my experience, which if you can't tell, hasn't gone well). Therefore, you may appropriately find questions such as: What type of oppression is the male-dominated society applying to prevent a qualified female President from taking office?

On a side note, it's also important to remember that any question you post in the Women's Studies page, doesn't necessarily stay there. All questions get their 15 seconds of fame on the front page of the site, so people don't actually have to be looking through Women's studies as a topic to come across your question. This may explain some of the dumber answers you'll get to questions that you might have posed thoughtfully. Report, report, report. Once Yahoo hears about enough abuse from a specific user, they'll deal with it from there.

Answer 3

I think I can answer that for you. When I was young some female teacher taught all the girls in her class that anything a boy can do girls can do better. There was also the saying about girls are sugar and spice and all things nice. Well, when an adult teaches that to third grade children, they tend to believe it. So now there are all these girls that think of themselves as being better than boys. And on the flip side you have all these boys that were being told they are inferior. The problem here is that the girls think that no matter what they do, they are sweet and innocent. Even when they do terrible things. Men notice this behavior, but women seem to have a hard time seeing it. Maybe a long time ago things were different. But now women are commiting horrible crimes just like men. Things like sleeping with students and killing their children. But our society is so screwed up that Mary Kay Latourno(or however you spell it) is now a celebrity for screwing her 13 year old student. Now lets put the shoe on the other foot. Say it was a 35 year old man that had sex with a 13 year old girl. I don't even have to say what would become of that guy. There is a double standard in our society in favor of women. And until women stop taking advantage this double standard don't be suprised if men don't have a good opinion of you.

Answer 4

Renee....Its sad to say but most men are not confident enough in themselves to accept that perhaps women want to learn more about who they are and the role that they play in todays society.

I've run into women who were militant feminists in the 70's and now complain that they cant find a man with manners.

I think the most important question that should be asked in any womens studies seminar is "Who do you think you are as a woman?" and "Who do you think you should be as a woman?"

That way. cutting through all the BS we would be able to understand just what a woman expects from a man instead of blaming us for every thing that they find wrong with being a woman!

Answer 5

consider the age. Remember when we were girls, and the boys were mean because they wanted our attention? Same thing. But, I like men to be part of the gender role debate. Perhaps they should reword the category. I was always offended by 'women's issues' and ' feminism', because it implies that it only affects women, when women's issues are men's issues as well. And, we can't get anything done without their support, until we are equally represented.

Answer 6

Cause we live in a patriarchial society and men feel the need to dominate wherever they go.
Instead of educating themselves about women's issues and why this is important to some (not all) women, they choose to ridicule women's studies with questions like "why are most feminists ugly" or "what makes a woman h orny?" Or "Are women more prone to have bisexual tendancies?"
And in doing so, increasing the never ending backlash we face on a daily basis.

Why do they do it? It's called having no respect. It's called putting their needs over ours. They REFUSE to see how society treats women as a whole and are trapped in their own ignorant minds. Masculinity would be at loss if they were interested in asking serious, relevant questions relating to women's studies because this is obviously a "feminine" topic that makes most men and women offended.
Some men think women studies is here so they can learn how to study women or to pick up women. They have basically turned it around on how to better know women sexually/intimately for their own personal information.

What questions should be in women's studies? I would like to see more questions on: "How can women be sexist when we live in a patriarchal society?"
Or "If women (women of colour, lesbians, disabled, elderly) are still oppressed/marginalized, why do people think women have achieved equality?
" Was your mom a feminist?"
"How did you first hear about women's studies?"
"When did you realize you were a feminist?"
"What can we, as women, do to better eduate ourselves about our society and world at large?"
"Many women do not know they can ejaculate and think they are still peeing. What can we, as women, do to better educate ourselves about our bodies besides going to the doctor?"
"What do you think of Eco-Feminists?"
And finally, "Why are so many people threatened by women empowering themselves?"

Thank you for asking this question cause I've felt like pulling my hair out. Now, I'm just thinking about shaving it. HA HA
:)

Answer 7

The really annoying answer would be "Boys will be boys".

Feel free to substitute the word "idiots" for "boys"

And since I am male, I probably can't answer the second part of your question correctly, but I will give it a shot.

I think the type of questions you would want would be the role of women in society, the history of what they have accomplished, and how women can further themselves in our current society.

There have been quite a number of women in recent times that are quite worthy of anybody's respect.

But please, dear God, don't ask me about Hillary Clinton.

-Dio

Answer 8

They're just trying to get people riled up, and the women's study section is a good place to find people to offend.

I guess it should be full of questions like, "what does it mean to be a woman," "what was the role of women in 17th-century Japan," and "how do women tend to feel about [name of subject]."

Answer 9

Sadly, like the data that has been collected on topics like sociology, archeology and anthropology, these topics have been taught and studied almost exclusively by men until very recently.

Their interpretations of what they see have been skewed by a male as dominant/either or thought paradigm and like little boys tend to do, they go searching for heroes to worship and "facts" to back up their very thin argument of male superiority.

And please note, being a brute and a bully doens't make you "superior". It just makes you a brute and a bully. Something akin to a big old dumb steer with a thorn in it's rear.

Their own sense of self is so very fragile that they feel the need to rush around and kick at the ankles of anyone courageous enough to point out the need for global gender balance and dramatic change for humans to be able to evolve to a peaceful and self sustaining condition.

Weak male psyche's can't handle confidant female exploration
and discovery. Part of the outdated male thought paradigm is this..."If we can't control it we must kill it." Very neanderthal.

The female paradigm looks like this..."We must find a way to peacefully co-exist with things that are different from us. "

That's too much for them to fathom and so we have tiny little men with tiny little minds and tiny little gonads behaving like tiny little boys who stomp their feet and demand that their mommies give them a cookie.

Answer 10

I think it is more of being a flamer, someone that comes by and lights you up with dumb, stupid, ignorant or teaser questions, just to provoke a reaction.

As to what type of questions should be here, I'm not certain, so this is why I usually stay away. If I have nothing to say, there's nothing worthwhile for me to say.