A rant on gender stereotypes

[Alex K]

Natachan,

I can completely relate, my wife is a phd'd stem scientist who'd rather write some code than sew something, and if she sees a diamond necklace she calculates in her head what the highest res lens is she can get for the price tag. She spent much of her youth hard core gaming counterstrike. I do most of the cooking. So it goes.

[abaris]

But why? Why do these stereotypes exist and wha purpose do they serve (other than to irritate)?

Ancient (mediterranian) gender roles and feelings of male superiority perpetuated by religious teachings. The Northern pagan societies didn't know them to the extent before christianity arrived. And to be sure to make the point, that does apply to Islam and Judaism as well.

But it all boils down to ancient male superiority complexes.

[Alex K]

But it all boils down to ancient male superiority complexes.

Scroll ^ for a free demonstration

[John V]

Ancient (mediterranian) gender roles and feelings of male superiority perpetuated by religious teachings. The Northern pagan societies didn't know them to the extent before christianity arrived. And to be sure to make the point, that does apply to Islam and Judaism as well.

But it all boils down to ancient male superiority complexes.

Er, what was the cause of these male superiority complexes?

You don't seem to be thinking this through. If men are more likely by nature to have superiority complexes and/or create religions and moral codes, then you're acknowledging biological differences between the sexes.

If men are not more likely by nature to have superiority complexes etc., then we would expect to see roughly equal numbers of societies with religions/moral codes which put women ahead of men.

[Dystopia]

Gender roles are terrible. There's actually evidence that, for example, men can be as emotional if not more (sometimes) than women, yet either men are told to not cry, or, since we are now more accepting of men crying, they should only do it when it's really necessary (i.e. someone dies) - We are also told to man up, to stand the pain, to behave like a real man should.

One of the worst gender stereotypes in my opinion is the dichotomy between male and female virginity - Males are supposed to have sex and lose their virginity early, and it gets better if they manage to have a large number of partners (female partners I mean) - Women were once told to be virgins until they get married, and still are - However nowadays it's socially acceptable for females to lose their virginity before marrying, and before the age of 18 - But... There's still a lot of norms regarding that - They are supposed to do it with someone very special, they are supposed to not have too many partners until they get married, and they should choose partners very wisely - All of that is a gender stereotype, both men and women can enjoy sex immensely, there's no reason for any of them to avoid having good consented healthy sexual experiences. To be honest, I think it's wise to wait until you are, at least 16 or 17 years old, because of legal problems and too allow your brain to mature, because sexual relationships aren't only physical but psychological too (I'm thinking about my role-play fantasies)... But other than that, if he bangs a lot of girls, he's a champ, if she bangs a lot of guys, she's a complete slut, and if she dresses with revealing clothes, worse yet... A quiz directed to young males my age or older (20+) will probably reveal that more than 2 or 3 sexual partners is too much for them to date someone (I mean if the woman they are dating had a bigger number of partners), and that's why I'm not surprised when I discovered a lot of people back in highschool though my girlfriend was a slut because she had 4 sex partners before me - It never bothered me, mostly because I'm hotter than them and shit

And to conclude, the first time is always a bit awkward at least and I think people place far too importance on it, as long as it's consented it's fine.

[Tonus]

Testosterone probably has some role in how the genders behave and how these behaviors have become codified by most societies, although as I understand it, studies trying to link testosterone levels to aggression have generally been inconclusive. It does seem to have effects on sexual aggression and general risk-taking. While it may not necessarily make men more physically violent, it might make them more assertive and more aggressive in social settings. And its effects on muscle growth may also have an effect in that regard, as a stronger person may feel more confident in acting assertive or aggressive.

[Minimalist]

Er, what was the cause of these male superiority complexes?

You don't seem to be thinking this through. If men are more likely by nature to have superiority complexes and/or create religions and moral codes, then you're acknowledging biological differences between the sexes.

If men are not more likely by nature to have superiority complexes etc., then we would expect to see roughly equal numbers of societies with religions/moral codes which put women ahead of men.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.ph...k+Syndrome

Tiny Dick Syndrome
A man who obviously wants everyone he meets to immediately think he has a very large penis. This is because he is very poorly endowed and lacks any shred of self confidence.

[professor]

What I have noticed, is if you give a little kid a choice between baby dolls and toy trucks, the girls pick the dolls and boys pick trucks.

After a while, the boys take apart whatever they can on the truck, and the girls soon have all the clothes off the doll.
So were all different and the same at the same time.

[Tonus]

So boys are destined to be mechanics, and girls... porn directors?

I can live with that.

[Natachan]

IIRC those studies were inconclusive. It was hard to tell if that preference was influenced by parents or not. I'll have to look it up.

The mechanic stereotype does confuse me. Why is it unfeminine? This is crafting, which is usually either gender neutral or a feminine task. Weavers and potters are often women. So why is this different? Why is math and engineering seen as unfeminine?