Battle of the Sexes

[Charlotte Smith]

Pretty self-explanatory: who do you think has it worse off( girls vs. guys) and why.

[Story-Master Laila]

I really don't think suicide rates have anything to do with whether it's women or men who have a more difficult life. However, another reason female suicide rates are lower, just a speculation, could be that a lot of women who are depressed are mothers and wives who feel a level of responsibility towards their families that prevents them from taking their own lives. Like, it's the same how a woman is much less likely to separate from her husband if he's been unfaithful to her than vice versa. How many women do you know who have grinned and borne unhappy marriages for the sake of their children?
Yes, it is true that men probably find it more difficult than women to come to terms with depression because they're expected to be 'macho'; in the same way a male rape victim is less likely to come forward than a female one. But then again, look at the origin of the word 'hysteria': it comes from 'hystera (uterus)'. Obviously women are never told clinically nowadays they are depressed because of a dysfunctional uterus, but it's happened a lot in the past. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only girl or woman who's been told by a man that she is only angry, or upset because of PMS. 

Men are under a lot of pressure, being the breadwinners, but then women are under equal pressure as the homemakers and 'multitaskers'. I come from a country where women have it pretty bad, and more often than not if there's a disciplinarian or academic problem with a child the woman is automatically blamed. I'm sure you could find a million statistics saying women are paid less than men, doing the same jobs, or that they tend to not be placed in the higher, managerial posts of a firm.

Women, just being physically weaker than men, end up having to put up with a lot of abuse. But then you could also say that men are under a lot of pressure, being dubbed the 'protector' and with society's emphasis on the need for men to be physically strong.You could also say that in case of domestic violence, the blame is always thrust on the man, because at the end of the day, he is the one with the physical power to hurt a woman much more than she could hurt him. However, if a woman slaps her husband or male partner out of anger, and he retaliates, it's somehow always said to be his fault.

For every hardship a man or woman suffers there can and will be a rebuttal, saying the opposite gender faces something similar or worse. But I'm definitely leaning towards women being worse off. Does an attractive man have to worry that if he walks around in a pair of speedoes, some woman is going to rape him? No. If a man is sexually promiscuous, will most of his male peers call him a manwhore, or will they pat him on the back and call him a ladies' man? It's not always the case but more often than not, it is. How much more often is a woman made to feel less intelligent or less capable than her partner, or to be talked down to by him, than vice versa?

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

I really don't think suicide rates have anything to do with whether it's women or men who have a more difficult life. However, another reason female suicide rates are lower, just a speculation, could be that a lot of women who are depressed are mothers and wives who feel a level of responsibility towards their families that prevents them from taking their own lives. Like, it's the same how a woman is much less likely to separate from her husband if he's been unfaithful to her than vice versa. How many women do you know who have grinned and borne unhappy marriages for the sake of their children?

Erm... you do know the facts of life right? You know that it takes a mother AND a father to make a baby? Why exactly would female suicide rates be lower because THEY have families to look after. Men have families as well, you know? Sexist much? Equally, marriages (mostly) involve men and women. I'm sure there are plenty of men who have stayed in unhappy marriages/have partners who are adulterous etc. Stop acting like women are somehow nessecarily saintly in all of this.

Yes, it is true that men probably find it more difficult than women to come to terms with depression because they're expected to be 'macho'; in the same way a male rape victim is less likely to come forward than a female one. But then again, look at the origin of the word 'hysteria': it comes from 'hystera (uterus)'.

 

Yes, it comes from the word for uterus because it used to be believed that female issues were caused by the uterus wandering around the body.

Men are under a lot of pressure, being the breadwinners, but then women are under equal pressure as the homemakers and 'multitaskers'.

The distinction is though that men are expected to bear the pressure. Women are not, or at least, not in the same way. Women seem to have licence to complain or expect assistance in these situations. Men are more expected to "suck it up" etc.

I'm sure you could find a million statistics saying women are paid less than men, doing the same jobs, or that they tend to not be placed in the higher, managerial posts of a firm.

 

You could, but most stats now agree that the reasoning behind this is not to do with discrimination and more to do with other factors (choices by women etc).

But I'm definitely leaning towards women being worse off. Does an attractive man have to worry that if he walks around in a pair of speedoes, some woman is going to rape him? No.

Contrary to lots of popular comment, slutty clothes have little to do with women being raped. Most rapes are conducted in the home, in daylight hours, by people the victim knows. So you comparison here is flawed.

If a man is sexually promiscuous, will most of his male peers call him a manwhore, or will they pat him on the back and call him a ladies' man? It's not always the case but more often than not, it is.

 

More often than not =/= The majority of the time. Moreover, this is a symptom of immaturity. More mature men do not consider sexual promiscuity something to be proud of.

How much more often is a woman made to feel less intelligent or less capable than her partner, or to be talked down to by him, than vice versa?

 

Do you have stats on that?

[Liam Radley]

I kind of want to say men have it worse off, mostly because if they do not fit in the other men will attack them. I'm sure that girls are never terrified when they enter the locker room. Guys always are expected to play and be great at sports. It may be harder for girls in other places

[Theo Leo]

Being a high school'er who has been on both sides of this spectrum, it's hard to say. When it comes to peers and social things, I think women have it harder. They have more expectations put on them and whatnot. Not to mention sexual harassment and the looks/comments strange men had said to me in public. When it comes to the legal system, I believe men have it harder. Cops, judges, and jury's seem to be more likely to go easy on women than they are on men (without any statistic proof, just observation correlation). I'm not saying that men don't have expectations of masculinity, but it seems that other men don't waste their time observing and judging. I guess overall the expectations of each are different in a legal, social, or professional setting. It depends what is going on and where to determine who has it harder. Trying to lump them all together is like comparing an apple to an orange. 

[Galya]

I think probably females. Obviously, they are the ones physically bearing children and all, plus they are paid less and treated worse than most men. Woman are considered the weaker sex, and this makes rising to the level of a man in really anything....very hard.

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

The Gender Pay Gap is increasingly a myth. Or rather, it's a myth that it is something imposed upon them via discrimination. It is more a result of female choices than anything else. The law already says in western countries that a man and a woman doing the same job are required to be paid the same.

[Eystein,]

Recent study in Norway reveals that women are less likely to receive compensation for work related injuries. This might be because there is little acceptance for the wear and tear in traditionally women associated occupations, the source of which may also be harder to determine since some conditions may have deteriorated incrementally and not from one single incident. However the study also reveals that when considering men and  women of the same age and with the same occupation, it is still more likely for men to receive compensation for their injuries.

On a personal note: I had a colleague once, in the health care services, who was refused compensation for a direct work related injury that left her partially physically disabled herself. Basically she fell backwards with a patient she was helping up a short staircase (3 steps) and permanently hurt her back. She was denied compensation because the authority felt they should have avoided the staircase altogether even though it had been expressed a desire to maintain the patients motoric abilities to as great an extent as possible. Although we avoid normal stairs, small stairs like this had never been perceived as a high risk...

[Suzie Nyman]

Looking at this argument point-by-point, I'd say it's a tie.

Men make more money than women, but they're also more likely to spend it foolishly.

Women are more likely to be depressed than men, but men are more likely to kill themselves (although this isn't for lack of trying on the women's part), and are at a higher risk for other mental illnesses.

Men are more likely to be physically assaulted, but women are more likely to be raped.

Men are taller, but women live longer.

Women have to give birth (depending on your point of view, this can be a plus or a minus).

Women have periods, but this lowers their risk for a heart attack.

A 25-year-old man has a bigger brain than a 25-year-old woman, but his brain will decline faster as he ages.

Society expects women to live up to an unrealistic standard of beauty, but it also expects men to do so as well- or, failing that, to make exorbitant amounts of money.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

Men make more money than women, but they're also more likely to spend it foolishly.

Erm...sexist much. How about you provide some proof?

[Suzie Nyman]

Here is a link to a paper from the American Psychological Association that describes this behaviour. I suppose that 'foolish' was the wrong word, though. In retrospect, a better choice would have been conspicuous.

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

Conspicuous consumption is not in any way foolish if you take the evolutionary ideological perspective (IE it's best to be as reproductively desirable as possible).

[Alfonso the Turnip]

both have many problems, but is it really needed to compare them?