Innate differences between males and females? (I need thought provoking answers)?

Question

Here is my argument:
There are innate differences between males and females
Ex: Reproduction... if it were to be equal males should have to carry the baby for four and a half months, but that is not the case according to the 'laws of nature'

The laws of nature are also applied with secondary sex characteristics (males=muscles and etc. + females=curves and etc.)

Thus, the 'laws of nature' make females and males better adapted to certain things. (aka females are better at certain things than males are and vice versa)

So... if we are treating eachother equally are we effectively handicapping eachother to what we could be if we worked together and treated eachother fairly? Is there a difference between being treated fairly and being treated equally?

If two people who were hired to a certain company whose office was on the third floor of a building, would it be fair if their were only stairs and one of the people was confined to a wheelchair? They are treated equally.

I agree that an individual should get paid x for doing y regardless of sex.

Who determines what being treated fairly is? (thanks ES)

Also, fair under the context that I am using (laws of nature) and playing towards strong points that the sexes tend to have.

Answer 1

Wow, this a tough one. No, men and women are not equal....physically. Some occupations are better suited for men, while others are better suited for women. There is a fine line between fair treatment and equal treatment. I am a bit "old fashioned" for this day and age, whereas I still believe that it should be primarily the woman's job to cook, clean, etc. And the man's job to fix things, mow the yard, etc. However that isn't always the way things work. Especially considering today's economy. If, in a marriage/committed relationship, appropriate work is not available for the man and the woman brings home most of the money then the man should pick up the duties of cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, etc. That would be equal and fair.

In a work environment, men and women should be treated as equally as possible. But that is where the problems happen. What you consider to be fair and/or equal treatment, I may not. And vice versa. Too many people nowadays feel entitled to what everyone else has, without regard to whether or not they can handle the load, or even deserve it. As a woman I doubt that I could ever be as productive on a construction crew as a man and therefore would not deserve equal pay. But I do deserve the opportunity to try and to prove myself one way or the other.

Answer 2

There are some points that I really like about your question. My opinion? No, people shouldn't be treated equally - not men and women or ANY 2 people. People aren't created equally, do not have the same talents, aptitudes or capabilities. There is a big difference between being treated equally versus fairly - everyone should be treated fairly. One question to add more dimension to yours - who is the one who determines what is and isn't fair treatment?
As for the differences in line with nature, there are physiological, mental and emotional differences. There are major differences in thought process which is part mental, part emotional and part conditioning. The one that makes me crazy is the difference in how men and women handle anger/frustration. I have never seen a man get incredibly angry and cry, yet I have seen this happen to the strongest of women (unfortunately, I'm included). It would be interesting to see the world full of men who cry when angry - just for one day:)

Answer 3

Yes, you do have a point. Men and women are better at different things, but I feel as though the point of equality between the sexes is the two genders to be seen as equally important as the other, not be seen as less of a person or have no value just simply because they may be born male or female. And these values of being just as important as the next person do result in women striving to be paid just as much as men for the same job or men having equal custody of children in marraige breakdowns, that's just to use 2 examples. There's nothing so bad about that is there?

Answer 4

Theoretically, I agree. We are not "equal" per se, but we are to be treated fairly. That is to say, a woman or a man should not be treated differently just because of their gender, but because of their basic abilities.

I think the big problem lies in the fact that some women are still being discriminated against in the workplace (statistically, they've been shown to earn lower salaries than men who do the same quality and kind of work) ... but perhaps our strengths for either gender could be used to enhance whatever job we're doing.

Men are known to be good problem solvers, and women are known to be good communicators. Now, that doesn't mean that some men aren't fantastic communicators, or some women aren't solution-minded, its just a generalization. So, why not give them both a chance at jobs that would not necessarily cater to the (correct) stereotypical needs? You might be surprised.

Answer 5

it's great that you keep asking questions about life & your surroundings. let me take you up on the points you've raised.

1. about reproduction: being "equal" doesn't necessarily apply to ALL things. think about it: if men were to carry the baby for 4.5months & sort of "transfer" it to the mother for another 4.5months, what would you make of the baby? It would definitely be detrimental to the baby. the reason why the baby lies in the womb is for protection, proper nutrition & growth. granted the "transfer" is possible, what would be the mode of "transfer"? a man's body is not DIRECTLY connected to a woman's body; you cannot teleport the baby; there is no shortcut, "elevator" or "escalator" from the man's to the woman's body wherein the baby can be safely transported through. So definitely, "womb sharing" is not possible & plausible. in this regard, safety is tantamount to equality.

2. secondary sex characteristics: i'm not a scientist, OB-GYN, or sex therapist, but let me correct what you've said. females DO HAVE muscles;it's only underdeveloped because the amount of testosterone in their body is far less than that on men's. consequently, men do have female hormones, only of a lesser amount. these would explain why there are instances when some women grow "men's hair"(i.e beard/moustache, etc) & some men grow boobs etc.. because of hormone malfunction/abnormalities in a man's/woman's body. these would also explain why gays, when they take female oral contraceptive pills, develop female characteristics (curvier body, fairer&softer skin, boobs "growth", etc)---it's all in the hormones.

3. Your'e correct on saying men & women have certain skills/abilities.

4. you are mixing two issues: innate differences of men & women, &human equality/fair treatment. Since i've tackled the "innate differences" issue, let mo go to equality issues. I think the words fair & equal,on this issue, are synonymous.
on your Question "if we are treating ech other equally...", men & women can still be fair & equal to each & every one EVEN with the said innate differences/traits/talents. & no, we are not handicapping each other. men can improve on his weaknesses & women can do too. men can be an effective cook at home, or housewife/mother substitute; women can be good leaders/CEOs, soldiers etc. it's more an issue of cooperation, collaboration, avoidance of gender discrimination, & recognition of every human's worth--be it a man or a woman.

5.on the wheelchair issue.. definitely, in today's society, it would not be fair if the building would only have stairs as mode of transportation. we are now in the point of human history wherein we should care for others, physically challeged or not; recognizing those kinds of people are humans also, have hearts & minds, gifted with certain talent(s) &/or creativity & therefore deserve fair & equal treatment.

I hope these points helped...

Answer 6

I believe people should be judged as individuals, on their own merits. They should not recieve special treatment because of their social position, accent, skin color, bank account, or dangly bits.

Since men and women do have physical differences there will be some jobs that are better suited to men or women. For instance, jobs that require great physical strength are better suited to men. But these jobs should be open to anyone who is actually qualified for them - the individuals who are not qualified will simply fail whatever tests they have to perform to get the job and if they're preferentially of one sex that's just life.

Treating men and women equally in a job that required, say, physical strength would simply mean allowing men and women to apply for it on the same terms. Most women may not be able to do the job but some probably will, each applicant should be judged individually, based on how well they can do the job, not their sex.

Answer 7

I think - beyond physical differences - you're just talking in generalities and stereotypes when you say men are better at... or women are better at... I happen to believe that all sorts of sociological influences contribute to making someone who they are... not to mention that people (ignoring gender) are just endowed with different capabilities. It is an overly simplistic idea that all men or all women are anything. People are complex.

I think the whole debate over "equal treatment" should really be about giving people equal access to opportunity - as fair treatment as I can think of.

Regarding the word "fair"... I really hate that word. Paris Hilton was born with a crazy amount of money. Most of us were not. Is that fair? Some babies are born addicted to crack. Is that fair? Plain and simple, life's not fair.

Answer 8

Is a very interesting point in fact, I'm agree that we are not physical equally, and when we talk about not discrimination of gender we must talk in a sense of mental capacity, in that aspect we are equally, so we misunderstood the corrects term to define this.
but other side i think yes there should be a very serious study to define the areas and situation where each gender would be better to adjust itself, for example the women, we are more sensitive and we can use better the psychology, the guys they must be better in other areas.
so knowing this we can be treating fairly and use all the way to the limit all our real capacities.
sorry about my English is not my language.

Answer 9

No matter what the feminists say, men and women are not and cannot be treated equally. I like your term fairly. That is the proper way to treat each other.

For instance: A friend of ours works at a local electric power plant. He and a woman are both up for a promotion. He has worked for the company for 20 years and started out climbing poles and stringing wire and worked his way up to engineer (with a college degree in engineering). She has been working for the company for 7 years and also has a college degree in engineering, but has little experience. She is given the promotion and constantly calls the man who did not get the promotion for advice as to what she should do. Was that fair? Was that equal? Who was more qualified for the job?

Answer 10

Many people are going to disagree with me, but in all honesty men and women are extremely different and therefore we are handicapping each other with the current terms of equality.
Many people do not know that a woman and mans arms curve differently allowing women to naturally hold infants, that's why men feel uncomfortable when they hold new babies. This difference also allows men to have stronger upper body strength.
Now by no means does this mean that we do not have a level of equality but on a grander more natural scale the truth is that men and women physically are different.
Menstruation for example this has nothing to do with men and everything to do with being a women. Its one of the characteristics that define us as female why would we want to share this....
I fondly believe that if we would advance further if we realized that our difference combined make a greater whole therefore we should appreciate these differences and celebrate them