Gender Equality Thread

I'm sorry, when I was saying gender, I really meant sex. Yes, people identifying outside of the gender binary certainly complicate things. How about a woman who identifies as the male gender and receives testosterone and this and that? That's where things get complicated, and I don't like to go that rout because that's messing with biology and making things too complicated. Gender is a human construct, true, and yes, there are certain things that men have traditionally done that "make them men", and things that women have traditionally done that "make them women". Those are human constructs; a woman being subordinate to a man isn't "biological", it is a human construct and a learned behavior - just like all other aspects of gender. They aren't real (women aren't actually subordinate to men, men have just oppressed them).

Back to the topic: sex. I was trying to advance the view that based on an individual's sex, the individual is either more or less capable for muscle development. Is this false? I think that I am looking at the evidence. Isn't testosterone the chemical that makes men stronger? That's evidence, right?

I think it would be unfair for women to make them compete with men in sports like football or basketball. Muscle strength is a huge part of the game, and men have a biological advantage. Like TIME said, there would be a VERY small number of women that could actually make the NFL.

If testosterone is the chemical that makes men stronger, then men will always have the potential for greater strength than a woman because of this, but what about estrogen or progesterone? Men can't compete with women for breast size (a physical characteristic like muscle size), which is obtained through women's high levels of estrogen... Men also can't compete with women for making babies, which is obtained through embryogenesis with women's high levels of progesterone... I would say that breast size is a physical characteristic just as much as muscle size. So now we're into "evidence" and "biology". Does men's level of testosterone prove my point?

 

Hasn't it been well documented that professional women athletes routinely lose to high school boys teams in the same sport?

Venus and Serena, Women's Soccer, Women's Ice Hockey. Even the best of the very best, the Olympic teams lose to high school boys. They just can't keep up.

Some women can be stronger than men. There is no doubt there are tons of women stronger than me.

But they also try to be. They work out and eat properly. If I match that regimen I would certainly be stronger than they were.

 

Military perspective... genders are not equal.. should we try to make it as close as possible? SURE.. but face it.. we dont get childs rights in court.. trust me I know.. so it doesnt all swing our way.. no pun intended

 

i beg to differ.. I have a house a study job and still couldnt get custody.. the law sides with females.. unless there are extenuating circumstances

 

Of course it's easy to armchair, we're on a site about NBA basketball. But men are stronger than women in general. A man puts in the same amount of work with the same eating habits and he will be stronger 10 times out of 10. That's why women don't fight men in boxing or UFC. It's why they don't play men's basketball or football or soccer or volleyball or swimming or tennis or any sport.

It's been proven time and time again.

There is a reason that not one single women in the WNBA would even make a D-League team. There is a reason they aren't out there in the big leagues. Or playing football.


That's just the reality of the biological situation. Testosterone helps builds muscles. We get more of it. We are stronger in general.

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

There is a reason for the gap in those records.

Let's see how I can word this. I don't think that this means they aren't 'equal' (though obviously there is that difference) and it's not an excuse to limit them from a wide range of activities, but the gap is there.

We should be fair and understanding of all genders and races, but it's very, very obvious that we aren't "equal."

 

Isn't biology proof? Why is it sexist that men have a higher capability for muscle growth? I thought in my last long post I used biology to "prove" to you the point (I thought that's what you were trying to get me to do), but the only "proof" you've been saying is that there are some women who are stronger than men. What point are you even trying to get across?

 

I used testosterone as the proof as to why men have more capability for muscle growth.
Don't chromosomes, genitalia, gonads, hormones and secondary characteristics pretty much go hand-in-hand? Like, it starts with the chromosomes. When sperm meets egg, the chromosomes are determined - XX or XY. We always get an X from the Mom, and either an X or Y from the Dad. From there, everything else develops (straight from Wikipedia):

 

The sex chromosome is what should be the determinant. However, there is a possibility for ambiguous genitalia:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003269.htm

 

Soo... There are 2 sexes. But that doesn't mean you have a penis/scrotum or a vagina, as they can be ambiguous. However, as far as I've read, having the Y chromosome still means you get the "male" androgen hormones - high testosterone, low estrogen/progesterone. The hormones seem to be the reason for muscle strength, genitalia aside.

 

lol.

I am sorry that testosterone has it out for women.