On men and women and the state of things.

20 November 2001

Steph wrote a nice thoughtful passage at the bottom of her antipasto journal entry yesterday. It briefly took me back to the days when I zealously studied the roles of sex and gender whilst obtaining my Sociology degree at UCSD.

I think that acknowledging similarities between men and women is as important as accepting differences. While it's true that the economic world is geared towards the "typical man", and therefore puts most women at a disadvantage, I believe that both men and women should be permitted to vary in their attitudes and characteristics, and not be penalised for it. Stereotyping men may not hurt them economically, but it damages them as human beings just the same. I'm sure there are plenty of men who would prefer the world to value "women's traits" more highly. The problem is getting them to admit it publicly. A bigger problem is getting everyone to realise that economic rewards are no substitute for being a well adjusted person. Unfortunately, those who value the privilege of these rewards tend to make rules which seriously hurt those already disadvantaged.

Just my $0.02