Stereotypes based on sex

Recently among my friends and acquaitneces I have noticed a revival of sorts of stereotypes based on sex. Such as:

-Saying that all a man wishes for in a relationship is sex
-Saying that the last thing a woman wants from a relationship is sex
-that men are so simple to understand, women shouldn't have to worry
-that women are complicated and impossible to understand
-that men should be the leading force in a relationship
-men whould be taller that their partner
-men should be older than their partner
-women should be smarter than their partner

I'm sure there are many, many more. Most of the examples I have given are based on relationships, however not all are. For example the idea that women should make less than men, even if they are doing the exact same job.

Do you think these stereotypes are bad? Do you think these stereotypes are true?
Where did they start?

Some say that religion dictates that women are inferior to men (Eve, Pandora, etc.) If I'm not mistaken, a well known Muslim prayer has a line similar to "Thank Allah I was not born a woman"

So, please discuss. How do you feel about these stereotypes?

Stereotypes are always bad when they are used excessively. If only everyone would understand that stereotypes are ignorant, narrow-minded fools, than perhaps there would be less tension in our society.

Personaly I believe women and men are equal. If a woman can kick my ass then good for her. If she makes more money then me, then thats great. I think they should get paid just as much as men do. Just because they are not male doesnt mean they should be paid any less. The work is getting done after all.

Stereotypes are bad, no matter what kind. Although they do make for some great jokes, but anything other then using them for humor is a bad thing. Because none of them are true.

Everyone is different, everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

Originally Posted by Fadock

Some say that religion dictates that women are inferior to men (Eve, Pandora, etc.) If I'm not mistaken, a well known Muslim prayer has a line similar to "Thank Allah I was not born a woman"

so what do the women say?

Originally Posted by Wolfen

so what do the women say?

"Damn it."

Anyway, gender stereotypes are, for the most part, faux, but there are some facts that are true, such as "men don't notice fine details." By nature, we don't. We see the whole picture, whereas women see intricate parts. Another one is the one about men never asking for directions. It has been proven that men have a better sense of direction than women, and I speak from experience when I say that women get lost a lot more than men do.

It sounds like some people in our society see males and females as 'totally different creatures' which disgust me.

We are all made the same way. Believe it or not, all males start out as females. The only difference is the chromosome 'Y' that gives the physical characteristics of a male, but this doesn't change the mentality of a male. We didn't have a choice of what we came out to be, but chance.

I see us as all the same. The only difference is physical appearance. If some people say that the only thing that men want first in a relationship is sex, then wouldn't this be the same for some females? Everyone is different and some people want what they want and think what they think without the gender involved. Sometimes girls want sex first and some guys prefer sex after marriage or when they want children.

It just depends on the way the actual person thinks by his or her behaviour and the way they see the world around them.

Well, there is the fact that everyone is different in one way or another that kills gender related stereotypes. Not all men are very "masculine" and to be frank, not all women are very "feminine". The stereotypical guy is supposed to be a dominant force in the relationship who sits and watches football on sunday, hangs out with the guys, and works monday through friday. You see it on every television sitcom. The stereotypical women is supposed to be opposed to the idea of the stereotypical man, hates sports, and is out to prove herself as just as dominant as the male. That is supposed to be the typical american relationship in modern times. Simply stated, however, many relationships just don't work this way. Alot of guys are not the dominant party in their relationship. Some women enjoy hanging out just as much as their husband does. Stereotypes are nothing more than the american society trying to apply norms to an otherwise abnormal society.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

It sounds like some people in our society see males and females as 'totally different creatures' which disgust me.

We are all made the same way. Believe it or not, all males start out as females. The only difference is the chromosome 'Y' that gives the physical characteristics of a male, but this doesn't change the mentality of a male. We didn't have a choice of what we came out to be, but chance.

I see us as all the same. The only difference is physical appearance. If some people say that the only thing that men want first in a relationship is sex, then wouldn't this be the same for some females? Everyone is different and some people want what they want and think what they think without the gender involved. Sometimes girls want sex first and some guys prefer sex after marriage or when they want children.

It just depends on the way the actual person thinks by his or her behaviour and the way they see the world around them.

This is fun, because I've read some stuff about the brain and stuff... And contrary to popular belief, men are more into sex than women (in general) because of a difference in a certain area of the brain. The bigger the sexual desire of an individual, the bigger this area is. And men have bigger such areas than women. Then it, of course, varies between individuals, but that's the truth of today!

And -as a side note- I love to shove that in the face of extreme femenists (there are, unfortunately, a lot of them here) when they say there's no difference between men and women except for their looks.

As for the main post, I'm gonna adress each of the prejudices:

-Saying that all a man wishes for in a relationship is sex

Never met any man like that. If they only want sex, they don't start a relationship.

-Saying that the last thing a woman wants from a relationship is sex

To my experience: not true. However, as I stated above, women desire less sex than men.

-that men are so simple to understand, women shouldn't have to worry

At times, I agree. We guys are usually pretty straight-forward

-that women are complicated and impossible to understand

I swear to God (and for those of you who know me, I never use that phrase but honestly), sometimes women make absolutely ZERO sense. Z-E-R-O.

-that men should be the leading force in a relationship

I see no point in having a leading force whatsoever.

-men whould be taller that their partner

I prefer shorter girls, yes.

-men should be older than their partner

I couldn't care less about who's older

-women should be smarter than their partner

I can't deny that brains attract me. I can't stand stupid girls. Smarter than me? Well... whatever, as long as there won't be any suffering from the difference, I don't care who's smartest.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

Believe it or not, all males start out as females. The only difference is the chromosome 'Y' that gives the physical characteristics of a male, but this doesn't change the mentality of a male.

lol wut? Actually, everyone starts off asexual because the egg hasn't been fertilized. Only when fertilization occurs is the gender decided.

I think EL is referring to us being females is the fact that we have no penis at birth. But in order to be a woman, we would have to have a vagina.

I have a particular hatred towards sexism.

My definition of sexism is: "the judging and/or treating of (a) subject(s) because of its/their gender".

However, according to my definition, I am a sexist myself, seeing as I am a heterosexual! But still, sexual preference sexism is very much recognized as being authorized, and most of scientific analysis sexism is to, as well as a bit of traditional sexism (like women wearing dresses while men wear suits).

Originally Posted by Haunt

lol wut? Actually, everyone starts off asexual because the egg hasn't been fertilized. Only when fertilization occurs is the gender decided.

Still, humans start developing as females, only part-way through foetus growth do gender differences become apparent.

This is the reason that men have nipples.

Originally Posted by Wolfen

so what do the women say?

Women simply do not recite this particular prayer.

Maybe from my first post I wasn't very clear. I don't condone these stereotypes in any way. But, it is a fact that men and women are very different, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Does this make one gender inferior? of course not.

Men are typically left brain dominant while women are Right brain dominant (of course not always, I myself am a Right brainer) and this is the reason for the jobs that are accositaed with gender. Doctor, Man. nurse, woman. Teacher, Woman... and so on.

^ Also, I believe women usually think in geographical ways, and men in mathematical. Whatever that means, I'm not sure. However there certainly are differences between the genders, and people who say we should treat eachother equally needs to rethink that statement.

There is a reason why there are so few female body guards. Because men are much stronger than women. Therefore, the average male is more fit for certain tasks than the average female. We should embrace the differences and be happy about them instead of trying to get rid of them like certain people seem to want. Not adressing anyone here, just other people that I -unfortunately- know of.

And I admit that my hatred towards such people make me say things that may appear rather disrespectful. I've said stuff like femenism defeats its own purpose (it does) and that people should stop talking about it for the same reason, which pissed a lot of people of. I don't actually hate femenism, but the people who oftentimes are trying to force it upon us, people who take it too far, like people who demand that girls and boys can have the same name... Seriously, sometimes I just want to hit these people. Hard. Luckily, I'm not a person who utilize violence, but words instead. Trouble is, these people are too dumb and stubborn to be convinced. At least a fist is convincing...