Why does no-one ever believe me when I say African/South Asian women have a weeks shorter pregnancies?

Question

And people say there are no such thing as racial differences.

Seriously, it's true, and it's been seen in studies in South Africa and the UK. Same diet and healthcare, different gestation lengths. 39 instead of 40 weeks.

http://www.lifestyleextra.com/ShowStory.asp?story=BW234614S&news_headline=the_perils_of_race_pregnancy_differences

This is just a news item. I've actualy read the studies.

X-ray, look it up first. There are some real differences between 'non'existant' races. Pygmies hit the menopause at about 27, Nigerians have a very high level of twinning. You are in need of some Googling.

Actually Jenny, Europeans are genetically closer to East Asians than Africans, it's just that Africans are closer to Europeans than anyone else.

Also X-ray, I'm quite well aware that Pakistani and North Indians fall into the Caucasian range, as do Ethiopians. However, geneticaly they are closer related to Africans than Europeans.

Answer 1

I'm quite happy to accept that there are differences between human populations that have been geographically separated.

Unfortunately as soon as you say Population A is different to Population B then up pops some racist claiming that it means that population B is superior or that A is more 'evoluted'.

Then someone shouts 'eugenics' and thus ends the discussion.

Pity, should be able to be studied and discussed like you can determine the differences between the eastern and western galah.

Answer 2

So you believe in racial differences?

Well then you would know that South Asians (Indians etc.) are considered "Caucasian" by the racial classifications and that if a weeks shorter gestation period applies to South Asians, it would apply to white Europeans as a race as well.

However, since you value the scientific studies as well, you would also have to admit there is no such thing as racial differences, and that they are social constructs. Therefore the human experience can be found in all ethnicities.

So...I can understand why people won't believe you - your premise is false.

Edit: by the doctors own admission: "The racial classification in this study, although CRUDE , is a PROBABLE indicator of genetic variation in normal gestational length."

Racial classification is crude, and "probable" is not "definite". Why? Because it is based on the unscientific premise of racial differences in the human race.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race


Edit: O.K- you just said Ethiopians are "Caucasian".
You are in serious need of some glasses. Also back up your claim.

Also: In 1995, geneticist Cavalli-Sforza wrote, "[T]he Caucasoids are mainly fair-skinned peoples, but this group also includes the southern Indians, who live in tropical areas and show signs of a marked darkening in skin pigmentation, although their facial and body traits are Caucasoid rather than African or Australian."

Answer 3

You are defending the black and the white, you are very afraid to hear that the black and the white are very much the same in genes.
The black women have the shortest period of pregnancy, the white women, a bit longer, Eastern Asian women, the longest.

Some low level animal have a few weeks' or moths' period of pregnancy.

Which race is on top of the evolutionary chain?

Answer 4

I have no idea, do they? Different lifestyles contribute to different pregnancy lengths, so do natural adaptation. Tell them that. Do a great load of research and blow them away with the facts!

My mum is caucasion (sp) and I was born just over 4 weeks early

Answer 5

I am south asian
and my mother was in labor with me for 17 frikking hours

Answer 6

Well if It"s true this is an interesting thing. Unfortunately I have heard about it nothing .But How do you know that ?

Answer 7

because it isn't true?