Thread: Feminism

Originally Posted by KT.

Well actually there have been studies that have shown or suggested different neurological differences between men and women. For example males tend to outperform women in spatial ability tests (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2651884/) while the section of the brain that is responsible for language is larger in women (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9041858) which could suggest that generally women are superior to men in language-based subjects.

However these finding shouldn't be used to exclude one gender or the other from performing certain tasks. There will always be some women who are better than some men at spatial reasoning just as there will always be some men who are better than some women at language-based subjects. People should be judged individually of their skills and assets but it's still important to realize (and celebrate) that women and men aren't exactly like each other neurologically.

Well, right, but I said "surefire". As in, when it comes down to the differences between any given random man and any random women, all you can be sure of is whether their nethers go inwards or out.

Originally Posted by coqauvin

to be fair, there's a lot more going on physiologically in women than the placement of their genitalia, compared to men. I mean we get a sizable chunk of testosterone from one ball or another, but we don't routinely shed blood out of our crotches (or deal with the hormonal imbalance that comes from this, much less the whole blood loss thing), and pregnancy affects people not only on a hormonal level but on a personal level as well. This is a global thing - every woman anywhere who was ever given birth shares that experience with every other woman that's ever given birth. Men do not have a unifying experience like this.

This is... hmm. Murky. Yes, biologically, we are prone to different chemical balances, but like I said to Atomic, whites and blacks have some physical differences too, which are not at all relevant when talking about racial equality. As for the unifying experience of childbirth -- well. Men have being kicked in the balls or something? I mean, I'm just not sure what you're getting at. Yes, they share that experience, but so what? Everyone who's had emergency surgery shares THAT experience. Every father that's ever conceived a child shares THAT experience. Every woman who's been raped shares THAT experience. All those things provoke strong reactions, but that is not to say that there is any homogeneity about those hormonal/physical/personal responses; different people will have different reactions.

Forgive me if I've just missed the point, but I don't really see the relevance of the shared experience of pregnancy.