Gender Differences

Gender differences between men and women have been described throughout history. Not only are our physical bodies different, but there are significant character differences as well. This makes sense, because God made men and women "in his image" (Genesis 1:27) so as to reflect his divine nature. (Romans 1:20)

Many languages have adjectives to describe attributes thought of as characteristic to men ("masculine") or women ("feminine").

Modern feminists refuse to accept the innate differences as an explanation for the underrepresentation of women academics in math and science.

Although there are social variations apparent in different nations and times in history, broadly speaking it is possible to list traits which define masculinity and femininity.

La Griffe du Lion writes:

Men and women exhibit other behavioral differences which are apparent almost from birth. To some extent they mirror sex-differentiated behavior in animals. Boys are more aggressive, girls more nurturing. Female babies react more to facial expressions, males to moving objects. By adolescence these behaviors have morphed into girls' interest in social relationships, and boys' interest in machines and devices. Obviously, such divergence of interests influences career choices. Girls lean more toward fields like psychology, while similarly talented men incline toward engineering or physical science.^[1]

"... the possible social consequences of male/female genetic differences are a legitimate subject of scholarly research into gene/environment interactions." [1]

Yet he view that masculinity and femininity are inherent (God-given) traits is disputed by feminists and some other social activists (see Homosexual agenda).

Feminists have often claimed that gender differences are not innate, let alone God-given. They do this to bolster their argument that men and women should be treated the same in society regardless of differences. And yet this is not always the case, especially when it favors women. For instance studies that show that men have more violent impulses than women are taken at face value.

The problem with the feminist view (or agenda) is that it assumes the truth of its own dogma. It simply asserts that gender differences are a social construct, but without supplying any proof of this. Worse, they refuse to consider any evidence in favor of innate differences. And so when it has been shown that there are gender differences in toy selection from the earliest ages of development, this is still somehow placed under subtle societal differences instead of innate makeup. Indeed, even male monkeys have shown the same quality.^[2]

Liberals support the feminist viewpoint that people are all the same, while also supporting the viewpoint that people are merely highly evolved animals. Yet gender differences among animals (particularly those "lower" than primates) are so striking that many species have distinct words for male and female: rooster and hen, stallion and mare, for example. Cattle are so differentiated that in English there is no singular term: we must say bull or cow.

In a well known example of honesty in the acknowledgment of gender differences in 2006, the President Lawrence Summers of Harvard University suggested (in a private meeting) that the lopsided proportion might not be due to prejudice or discrimination, but a simple factor such as personal inclination or aptitude. Unfortunately, as such an admission is frowned upon by feminists and liberals, he was forced to recant his remarks.^[3]

Denial of gender differences is part of the justification for the liberal position on issues including:

• Homosexuality - Some homosexual activists assert that if men and women are equivalent, then man-woman and man-man unions are likewise equally valid relationships. However, Christian egalitarians (such as the Council for Biblical Equality) maintain that it is possible to believe in full gender equality while still condemning homosexuality as immoral. Equality does not necessarily imply interchangeability (see Complementarity without hierarchy).
• Women in combat
• Education - For men and women to ever be educated differently or separately would be considered discriminatory.
• Employment - Women who refuse to undergo higher education and establish a career before having a family are considered by feminists to be victims of male domination.
• Transgenderism - To liberals all genders are one, even to the point that some advocate mixed-gender washrooms and changing rooms. (Note, however, that unisex facilities of this type are also sometimes built for other reasons, such as to save the developer the expense of building two restrooms at the expense of gender privacy.)

Notes[edit]

External links[edit]

• No Break in the Storm Over Harvard President's Words - January 19, 2005
• Study: Expectations Account for Most of Math-Ability Gender Difference - October 20, 2006