Women. You have men by the balls.(...)

[Mystical]

See I don't mind religious beliefs, I actually like you frOdo It's just that religion becomes inter-twined with politics by default.

Do I think religion is the main force driving what is holding women back from leadership roles? No. I agree with Rythm and JohnV's line of thinking that it's more biological. Or rather, society's view on biology.

Because to be honest, women are not holding themselves back they are being held back by themselves and men and have been since oh, always. It's never going to change, in my opinion, without radical new thinking on both sides. And in the last decade things have actually gotten worse (according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University).

Both sides can point to positive and negative leadership qualities in women but at the end of the day the main reason why there's only six female US Governors and 8 female Mayors has nothing to do with how strong or tall or weak someone is, it's estrogen.

Case in point every single woman I know has dealt with this dismissive assertion during an argument, "oh you're just PMS."

Yeah, I said it You know it's true and you know it's the biggest reason why men (and women) wouldn't want a woman in a leadership position. Biologically, we're inept /susceptible to emotional skew ism. Or so we think.

In my opinion that's the main thing holding women from taking leadership roles. Here's the thing though: Women might get emotional, but it's a good thing. Just like teenagers who are all whacked out on hormones: evolution put them there for a reason. To overcome the status quo. How else are kids expected to overcome the overbearing (or god forbid, abusive) parents of the world and get out on their own? Most arguments during a womans' cycle are actually based on real grievances that she may have the ability to mask any other day of the month. But should she have to mask that which bothers her? Well, yeah. For the peace of the household, yeah. But during that one week of the month you're going to hear everything that's jacked up about everything and is that really wrong? I don't think so. Personally I prefer not to let anyone notice my altered state and make a conscious effort to pay attention to my surroundings and behaviors more. But, that's just me

I'm generalizing of course, I mean just ask the women in power now if it affects their leadership roles and see what they say? Not every woman is unreasonable or unable to make decisions during this time, it's just a stigma put upon women due to our biological susceptibility. Who are we to say, nuh uh if we are damn near painted as mentally incompetent on a monthly basis? Problem is, has anyone ever wondered if the same happens to men through dropping or overcompensating testosterone levels? It's a new idea but it's so credible that the world renowned pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is actually doing a study on it. Three words:

Irritable male syndrome.

I shit you not, I found this tonight

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Irritable male syndrome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2010)
Irritable male syndrome (IMS), sometimes called Del syndrome, is defined as a state of hypersensitivity, anxiety, frustration, and anger that occurs in males and is associated with biochemical changes, hormonal fluctuations, stress, and loss of male identity.[1] This term covers symptoms thought to be caused by a drop in testosterone levels in male mammals.[2] It is a striking feature in mammals with seasonal breeding patterns at the end of the mating season.

A doctor from a Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland, coined the term after studying the mating cycle of Soay sheep. In autumn, he found that the rams' testosterone levels soared and they mated. In the winter, testosterone levels fell and they lost interest in sex. He also found that as testosterone levels fell, rams became nervous and withdrawn, striking out irrationally. Dr. Lincoln has observed these same changes in behavior in red deer, reindeer, and Indian elephants.
[edit]IMS in humans

In humans, irritable male syndrome is referred to as the andropause, defined as symptomatic of hormonal, physiological, and chemical changes that can occur in all men. These changes are considered[by whom?] to affect physical, psychological, interpersonal, sexual, and nutritional aspects of men's health. Stress tends to be a common trigger, especially when combined with rapid hormone changes later in life.[3]
[edit]Symptoms
Symptoms, in humans, caused by a drop in the male hormone testosterone include:

Anger and social withdrawal[4]
Irritability
Hypersensitivity
Anxiety
Hot Flashes
Mood swings
Depression
Lack of libido
Back and head aches

[edit]External causes
External factors that can cause testosterone levels to fall include certain forms of medication, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, illness, lack of sleep, lack of sex, stress or surgery.

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My point with all this is in my opinion shooting to the heart of what keeps women out of leadership roles, and opening a conversation on what may be a remedy to it. We're all human and bound to our biology. The more we understand it, the more we can overcome current brackets of social stagnation. I think the OP here is an idiot for thinking if we just "network" then we can save the world. We have to talk about that which is unthinkable and understand that which we do not comprehend. Seeing the recent Sequester as proof that bipartisanship is desperately needed, I'd say it's actually a genuine need to have women in more political roles to balance out the current imbalance of power between the sexes, nevermind the political party.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudrea...rah-palin/