Are Men the Weaker Sex?

From Scientific American:

www.scientificamerican.com...

Men may be faster and stronger but this article tells how they pay quite a heavy price for that 'superiority'.

But don’t start cheering yet. Contrary to cultural assumptions that boys are stronger and sturdier, basic biological weaknesses are built into the male of our species. These frailties leave them more vulnerable than girls to life’s hazards, including environmental pollutants such as insecticides, lead and plasticizers that target their brains or hormones. Several studies suggest that boys are harmed in some ways by these chemical exposures that girls are not. It’s man’s fate, so to speak.

It seems that mother nature's solution to male fragility (to make sure there are more of them) seems to be failing:

First of all, human males are disappearing. Mother Nature has always acknowledged and compensated for the fragility and loss of boys by arranging for more of them: 106 male births to 100 female newborns over the course of human history. (Humans are not unique in this setup: Male piglets, as an example, are conceived in greater proportion to compensate for being more likely than female piglets to die before birth.) But in recent decades, from the United States to Japan, from Canada to northern Europe, wherever researchers have looked, the rate of male newborns has declined. Examining U. S. records of births for the years between 1970 and 1990, they found 1.7 fewer boys per 1,000 than in decades and centuries past; Japan’s loss in the same decades was 3.7 boys.

The article is about how males are more likely to be 'hurt' by pollutants in the environment.

While not forgoing the push for fairness and equality, it seems wise to accept the scientific reality of male weaknesses. This likely won’t mean the end of men, but their vulnerability to environmental contaminants and diseases could have serious ramifications for the future of the entire human race unless we find ways to protect them from harm.

well many would say the one with the wand is king.
yet so many with wands fall prey and are easily subdued to the presence of the feline..

If you are a man, then Ill punch you in the nose for such an accusation.

If you are a lady, then yes ma'am.

Well I'd consider it subjective...

Some men are stronger, some men are weaker. Same goes for women.

But then again I will also say, that men are generally the sex to take the "dirty" jobs where the environmental impacts will of course have greater effect.

When you see who ''Wears the pants'' in most marriages and relationships ,men are definately the weaker sex !

Without doubt.
Ever had to break up a girl fight? By Jove I was lucky to make it out of there alive.

well put it this way if us men had to give birth i am fairly sure the human race would have ended quite a long time ago

Nature made women into a strong creature, society tried to make them weak.

reply to post by dukeofjive696969


True, notice how modern gods are all male (well except Hindu maybe) before these male gods we worshipped female gods.
Just another way to put the women down.

reply to post by FyreByrd


The current ratios are not ratios that affect the species permanently for all time. Males are CURRENTLY experiencing a decline. Species sex rates always ebb and flow. Why is this a surprise?

When a guy manages to squeeze something the size of a watermelon out of any area in their body...

We might have a chance at wining this title

Til then we lose...

Of course we are weaker ... for 2 main reasons

1: We have no pain threshold
2: We have little willpower - show us a nice pair of boobs and we will do anything

.... on the other hand this might just be me

Most scientists in our country lean democrat. I wonder if that means anything? It's not supposed to because science is non-biased.

www.huffingtonpost.com - Only Six Percent Of Scientists Are Republicans: Pew Poll...
voices.yahoo.com - Only Six Percent of Scientists Republican, 55 Percent Democrat...

men are NOT the weaker sex as for the squeezing a melon thing trade you a missing eye a missing finger a palap removal from anise.
and being hit 9 times be cars and we will see who is weaker.
Child birth takes at worst 2 days and if its so bad why does the SAME women have another? But hey try lousing a eye and being in screaming pain nine months straight or being burned over 50 % of your body before you start talking about pain.I know what pain is I have lived it . Child birth I would be glad to trade the pain I have had in return give birth to my 3 boys .I would still have two eyes 10 fingers and a unstretched rear hole.
One last thing lady's enjoy this time in history it wont last .BET YOU WILL BE SCREAMING FOR ME TO KILL THE (INSERT DANGRESS ANILAMLS HERE Including the human kind) Weaker lol .
ps lady's If child birth is so bad DONT GET PREGHGERS .why you wine so much then have kids is beyond me.

If men were truly the weaker sex, we would see more woman in military SEALs
But we don't.
Women are often very unstable in the emotion department at least till AFTER they get through menopause.
the worst a man goes through is wanting to buy a fast car or motorcycle after 40.
Most woman need continuous reassurance of their beauty and cant leave the house without makeup.
Men make better cooks.

Are men or women more weaker "in general"? That question is asked by people who want to start pissing contests.

So here is my stereotypical response:

Women aren't the boss but they are "bossy". That stems from their perceived weakness when compared with men.

I hate comparisons. Aren't men and women supposed to compliment each other?

reply to post by wombatta


That's not from "wearing the pants" that's from who has control of the panties. No joke.

reply to post by midnightstar

reply to post by FyreByrd


Look this is easy. It goes back to the garden. Women have power over men. Some women cultivate and use this power better than others. Hey it's a woman's world, we men are just living in it lol...

Seriously, I find women amazing in every way. They are incredibly strong and resilient. They seldom get credit for all they do. I would like to say thanks to all the women here on ATS, some of us men appreciate you and we are not all pigs lol.

The Bot

Since medicine has allowed humans to transcend natural selection, allowing phenotypes to survive that should have died out, perhaps this is the knock on effect. Men are weaker because they can be. The female of the species, having only relatively recently overcome the difficulties involved in childbirth that previously resulted in up to a 30% death rate during pregnancy and childbirth, are more robust as a result of being subject to natural selection in this way. The giveaway would be comparing populations with good access to medical facilities, with those with high infant mortality rates.