Gender Brouhaha

Men and women are different.

Vive la difference!

"For you easy, for me difficult." -- Senor Wences.

Variety is good, bigotry is not.

   Scientific American, a highly respected magazine, ran afoul of many sensitivities when it published several blogs on its web site dealing with realities of employment differences among men and woman and the theories of why this is so.
   The Washington Post reported that the blogs "unleashed waves of criticism and claims that the publication was promoting racism, sexism and 'genetic determinism.'"
   From this corner, the issue is not whether one gender is inferior or superior to another, but that of perceptions and actions, especially why actions based on perceptions are common. There are, of course, differences between men and women. For example, women can put on a bangle bracelet easily, while men find it nearly impossible. That's a physiological difference. Medical professionals, especially pharmaceutical researchers, know that women and men react differently to many drugs. That's a chemical difference. Only women can become mothers, and as such tend to be more nurturing than men. That's yet another difference.
   The issue, then, is whether these and other differences are genetic or cultural, and the study of these differences is therefore an appropriate subject for scientific inquiry, whether through psychology, sociology, anthropology, chemistry, physiology, medicine or any other science.
   
   Far too many act on the false assumption that because one person or group is different, another person or group is therefore better. Ability and potential are separate issues. Some folks have talent in art, others in music, still others in mathematics, science, medicine, or other fields. Some are good at spelling, but for others, the use of a computer spellcheck program doesn't help -- a word may be spelled correctly, but be the wrong word.

   There have been several recent reports quoting top level academics as saying that because women and some minority groups may score lower on math and science tests, they are therefore genetically inferior. Another false conclusion.  Correlation is not always causation. People observed the sun rising in the east, which led many to conclude that the earth stood still and the sun moved. Low test scores are due to many factors, including educational background and opportunity as well as individual intelligence levels. In addition, nutrition, environment and other factors can influence test scores. These are important subjects for science to explore. Moreover, to condemn all because of the performance of a few is a false generality.
   
   For many years, careers open to women were mostly in teaching (except college), nursing, and airline flight attendants. Why? Largely because other fields were closed to them. But when corporate executive doors opened to women, they acted on these opportunities. Meanwhile, there was still a demand for nurses, flight attendants and teachers, so men entered these fields.
   
   In some cultures, women are still deemed to be inferior creatures to men. But this remains a cultural issue, not genetic. Ability and potential have little to do with gender or racial differences. Performance and success come from education and training, as well as opportunity.

  To deny opportunity because of gender, race, ethnicity or cultural background is, to put it bluntly in a single word, stupid.