Does a close-knit society need more estroegen?

Question

Considering the effects of too much testosterone
(aggressiveness, bullying, violence), and that
hyper-masculinity is detering guys from graduating
and progressing ...

Should we be helping guys by inhibiting testosterone
or adding estroegen (not so much as to effect their
potency, but only their behavior)?

Will society become less violent if we did this?

Will society become less violent?
Will guys progress further in school?

Answer 1

Women are NOT less violent -- it is just that women tend to express their bullying & violence verbally -- rather than physically -- since women tend to be physically weaker but verbally stronger. Women are simply using the best weapon that they have.

Giving people more hormones won't change basic human nature.

Answer 2

You're basically talking about partial chemical castration of the entire male population.

Testosterone plays an important role in normal male development. Men who go on your testosterone-lowering regimen are going to have stunted growth, feminized physical features, and reduced fertility. That's just how it works. Men are biologically supposed to have high testosterone.

Nor do I think reduced agression and libido would necessarily be entirely positive. The psychologists will tell you that a great deal of human achievement is the result of agression sublimated into more productive avenues. Not to mention the question of whether any benefits from lowered agression are worth having your sex drive correspondingly inhibited.

This isn't even getting into the huge issue that such a program would have to either be involuntary or involve some kind of heavy indoctrination. Because many men, probably the majority, will refuse to take this regimen of estrogen and testosterone-inhibitors.

Quite frankly it sounds to me like you think the best answer to the ills of the male sex is to drug them all up to make them more like women. That's a terrible idea, and quite honestly comes off as more than a little sexist. How would you feel if somebody proposed that the best way to remedy the achievement gap between men and women is to give women testosterone supplements to make them as driven and agressive as men?

Answer 3

I do not believe adding estrogen or inhibiting testosterone is the best answer. Teaching males the ability to give reason and logical thought control over their bodily hormones is better.
However, yes, I believe society would be less violent if testosterone were reduced. But....there are violent women as well. We must not forget that.