Females, the stronger sex

When I was a child, I was often told much the opposite. In fact, I often heard females referred to as the “weaker sex”. (I recall hearing ladies say this about as often as I did men.)

When one is referrring to purely “physical/bodily” strength alone, that old adage may still largely ring true. I am a 68 year old male, yet I am likely still as physically strong as at least half the ladies on the planet, no matter their age.

Yet, after that, the old myth of male superiority holds no more water. Indeed, regarding virtually every other measure of comparative strength, the myth leaks like a sieve.

The ladies among us have a much more robust immune system, which is a lot of why they live considerably longer - again “on the average” - than we men. Scientists propose this is due to women possessing two X chromosomes (we men only have one), which doubles the amount of immune-related genes to fight any infection, illness, or disease you can name under the sun.

Testosterone, the hormone that gives men our generally superior physical strength, often acts as an immunosuppressant, making us more vulnerable to illness, infection, and disease.

Estrogen, the hormone produced in great quantities by females, acts as a very powerful anti-inflammatory within the human body, providing a powerful additional shield of protection.

Indeed, across the majority of animal species, it is the females (not the males) who have superior life expectancy and disease resistance.

And as for male physical strength “always winning out” in real life … have you ever seen a mother Grizzly bear protect her cubs against a male twice her size and strength? In case you have not, I’ll give you a hint: the mother “wins” more often than not. Nature has endowed mothers with a remarkable strength of will and tenacity when it comes to protecting their offspring.

Now this next question may seem a bit off track at first glance, but the reader will see that it is not: Don’t women have “equal rights” in America?

Uh … I’d laugh right now if that question were not so sad. Two former students of mine (one male and one female) shared with me how they applied for the same business/sales job. Bet you can guess which one got hired - and why. No, gender discrimination is not the “official” reason they were given (since most employers don’t like law suits). But even the young man told me that his female childhood friend was more highly qualified in several ways, and that he had heard the whispers; “The best woman just doesn’t have what it takes to succeed in the business world as well as a good man.”

Well-entrenched myths, held long, can die hard.

Indeed, the point can be well made that when little girls were finally allowed equal access and opportunity in American public schools, it was then (and only then) that America began her rise to superpower prominence on the world stage … a greatness we will hold onto only if we continue to strengthen and grow our doctrine of full opportunity for all.

But aren’t men considered “emotionally” stronger than women?

Go watch a few movies from the first part of the last century. You will find that it is usually the leading female character who cries and sobs and “needs saving” by a man. Females were often portrayed as being “damsels in distress”, needing a man to help them control their emotions.

Real life, however, tells us otherwise.

I taught at the Bristol Jail for a quarter of a century. I saw how “uncontrolled” men can be with their emotions. A lot of testosterone can do that to us. And it is not entirely our fault. It is the way we are made. Nature has her reasons for it. Trust me, I can personally vouch.

Indeed, over 90% of those incarcerated in jails and prisons in America are male. Less than 10% are female. Now, tell me, how does that undeniable fact uphold the myth that males are in stronger control of their own emotions?

I hold little doubt that if mothers were elected to head up every government on Earth, waging war may very well go extinct as a way to solve problems between nations.

Every summer I take all the girls from our local Bristol Girls Inc. organization on hiking trips along the trails at Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol. These hikes are some of my fondest life memories.

Below is a recent pic from one of these hikes. (By the way, the little girl in the blue shirt and white hat is my own granddaughter, Lenna Kate.)

I have grown especially fond of the Girls Inc. motto; “Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.”

If we would all follow the Girls Inc. motto, what a wonderful world it would be.

For us all.