We sometimes hear that men and women come from separate planets and regard it as a joke. Indeed, it is one. Nevertheless, it is based on a true theory about male and female differences, which we can observe on a daily basis in our lives. The talks, discussions and researches on the topic were made throughout the history of humanity, giving different results, which depended on the epoch and the aim. Regarding psychological approach, it is possible to state that the differences actually exist, in spite of what feminists’ parties say.
When we contemplate gender problems, we often refer to the political issues. It is not the best way to determine the essential diversity between genders. The battle for equal rights, which lasted up to the present day, makes one think that women are the same as man, “no worse and no better”, or just “no worse”, as they use to put it. It is a fair point, but only from the legal point of view. The mental differences are hidden much deeper than political layers are.
If we trace history back to ancient cavemen, we would see entirely different functions in society. And the different functions determine a different lifestyle and, how it is shown in the further history, different mental evolution. Biology here also matters. Having a certain capability, higher than women’s, men carried out duties due to their abilities and separated themselves from females into different society layer. In the times when this diversity emerged an assumption was also born. This assumption was that “men are strong” and “women are weak”. In centuries in ended up with women equaled to animals, especially in the countries where slavery was sound. And that couldn’t help leaving its mark on the further evolution of women in society.
To continue the view into history, let’s mention that throughout the Middle Ages women seldom carried out men’s work. A specter of tasks that were on men’s shoulders, beginning with splitting logs and ending with running wars, could not be acceptable for women. Certainly, there were exceptions. Nevertheless, if to look into the essence, exceptions are just a small part that does not defy the rule’s accuracy. The mental separation was in the very upbringing. As an example, let’s look at the people of Vikings: girls were taught to help mothers to handle housework, to look for animals, while boys, being nine or ten years old, were wielding a sword or an axe. And such order ruled not only among Vikings.
Closer to the present days we see a historical-based gender discrimination. A social injustice arose, giving birth to feminist’s movement and researches on masculinity and men (Collier, 2010). The new age gave perspectives to social freedom that was used not only by feminists, but also by black people. Racism here also has meaning. It was hard enough to be black, but to be a black woman was much harder. Everyone who’s got through black people’s history in America definitely came across a story about a woman, who was arrested for refusing to yield her place to a white man on a tram. It lasted long before the war for rights gave fruits, making women and men equals. Still, it was not that simple for the female part of society to adapt to new jobs. Women as office workers, for instance, faced serious challenges in 1960’s (Marcovitch, 2012). Sad but true, these discriminations are still not fully erased. It is spoken today that men are less masculinists than women are feminists, and it has reasons to be so. Being more offended in centuries, they tend to be more aggressive as for defending their rights. And that also lives a mark on the moral way of women, so more the reason for a mental difference to exist.
If to step away from a pure historical analysis, researchers believe that gender issues have much to do with geographic factor (Zirin, Livezeanu, Worobec, & Farris, 2015). The basic needs of society are in a way determined by the climatic situation of their living area. That, in turn, determines what efforts (if any) should be made to survive. And this cannot avoid influencing traditions and culture of peoples, same as pointing out woman’s role in them. Let us assume that women stand higher than men in some culture. Not being discriminated, they are still socially separated from males, which also isn’t good for a total gender’s equality.
Nowadays we see what problems women confront in their common routine life. They are mostly the same as men have: where to work, what to buy, whom to marry and so on. Still, being equal, they are different. What matters the most, they have different thinking. Even the language they use is somehow other (Speer, 2011).
History shows us a chain of reasons for females to be a bit different. Indeed, so much-needed equality does not mean total alikeness. Gender differences have a serious background that cannot be easily forgotten not my men, nor by women. And both sides learned their lessons. Yet, let’s not forget that being different is not the same as being bad.
Reference
Collier, R. (2010). Men, law and gender: Essays on the ‘man’ of law. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Marcovitch, H. (2012). Mad men, women, and children: Essays on gender and generation. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Speer, S. (2011). Conversation and gender. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zirin, M., Livezeanu, I., Worobec, C., & Farris, J. (2015). Women & gender in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Eurasia a comprehensive bibliography. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe.