Why are so many women germophobic?

Question

Why are so many women terrified of germs? Why do they have such an obsessive fear of being exposed to germs? How come men are so much less likely to have an irrational fear of germs?

Answer 1

It comes from social teachings from childhood. The boys are treated tougher and they are allowed to get dirty and rough house. A girl is treated more delicate...given dollies to play house with...and taught to be a "woman". A girl is supposed to know how to clean and keep in good graces with the majority. She doesn't want to offend and she wants to please. (This is how majority likes to raise the girls) Some change has happened, but more and more traditional teachings are be reintroduced since some are rethinking about the woman workforce and woman's movement. :P :P I am not for traditional society, but hey...I dont know what's going to happen.

Answer 2

Actually, the only two germophobes I know are men.


Honestly, I have no idea what the statistics are about the correlation between germophobia and sex.

Answer 3

There are just as many men who suffer from this same compulsion. Howard Hughes for example lived a life of seclusion do his obsessive compulsive behaviours. I really think that by assigning this disorder to a specific gender you should research this first. There is no statistical proof that women are any more terrified and this word is quite amusing of germs than men. Women who feel there is a threat to the safety of their children are known to be able to lift Volvo's so I doubt a lowly germ would do much to scare them.

Answer 4

I'm afraid you're incorrect. Most "germophobes" with OCD are male.

Women generally are more okay with "germs" because they are used to doing the majority of the domestic cleaning-up - constant contact with "germs" gives them a familiarity with them.

Answer 5

The marketing machines have made people paranoid. Cleansers are big-business; it's a mult-billion dollar, highly competitive industry.

Who are all these women? Can you name even one? I know that Howie Mandell is like this: he refuses to shake hands for that reason. You are incorrect if you suggest this is some kind of a gender-specific phobia

Answer 6

Because we're the ones that have to sit up all night with the sick kids and clean up the puke and diarrhea because of germs the child picked up and got a virus from. We are also the ones who have to clean up after the man when he's sick because he becomes helpless when he's sick. And since we miss so much work because of the kid's and husbands, we can't afford to be out sick for ourselves. Therefore, we try as best we can not to get sick or spread germs to our families.

Answer 7

Usually the woman takes care of the person that becomes ill.That is part of being who we are.The germs can make us sick, so why not keep them at bay?No one wants to see a small child sick when it could've been prevented...Good Question.

Answer 8

LOL! a fear of germs is irrational? You can die from germs. I would say taking precautions against infection is very rational.

Answer 9

Why are you a dirty slob?

Seriously, I have known one guy who nearly died of blood poisoning from a little ahtlete's foot fungus getting into his bloodstream from a small cut on his heel. And another guy who got some small scrapes doing garden work, and contracted staph infection in his blood. he survived, but just barely, after weeks in the hospital critical care.

Viruses and germs are nothing to sneeze at.

Answer 10

Because when women get sick we know the home will fall apart. Also women aren't as happy to sit in filth as men are.