Bra-Burners of the World Unite: Ugg Ugg vs. Oooo Oooo??

OK so when I was in my 20s I discovered I didn't actually believe in sexual equality. Perhaps a strange statement for someone who has lived most of her academic and working life in a male dominated environment fighting to achieve but its true... Now before you all unite in bra-burning angst hear me out. 

Right, I absolutely, 100%, without doubt don't believe in sexual equality. Ignore the last couple of hundred years and go right back to how we were created as a species - Darwinsim, survival of the fittest, procreation of the human race. Men and women were fundamentally designed differently to serve, at a human level, different purposes. Men were all about hunter, protector. Lots of Ugg Ugg lets go kill a woolly mammoth, protect the women/children and generally leggit around the place fueled by testosterone. Women, generally speaking were designed, way back when, to have that monopoly on child birth and be in charge of the rearing the next generation of hunter/protectors or mother/nurturers. As such our natural tendency is off towards the oooo oooo than the Ugg Ugg, if you catch my drift. We worked and survived as a human species BECAUSE men and women were designed differently physically, psychologically and indeed mentally. Different but you needed both of them for things to work. That doesn't imply in any way men were more skilled just that each had a different range of very complex skills. 

Ok fast forward to today. Despite the massive advances in society, academia, science, technology, equal rights and opportunities we cannot change genetics (OK we can but that involves a whole bunch of hi tech med stuff I know nothing about). Fundamentally no matter what role or place you hold in society it is an inescapable truth that men and women are still different. No matter how much I go to the gym I will never be as strong as a man. Conversely don't think men have mastered that childbirthy thing either. 

Having pondered this in depth I think the biggest issue in relationships is when people fail to acknowledge those differences. Accepting being a woman, with the empathy, generosity and the need to feel protected is not a weakness... its kinda purpose built... and in no way defines/limits your intellectual capability. Men are designed to be the stronger and protect. I'm sorry but I think its crazy for us to pretend to be equal. WE ARE NOT EQUAL - WE ARE DIFFERENT!!!!! Get over it.... 

Where people get confused is by associating one being better than the other. They are not, they are just different. Do not confuse sexual equality with equal rights. What I am a massive believer in is equal rights. Just because you are a man/woman should not restrict you from doing or achieving what you want to acheive... nor how we are rewarded for doing the same job. Both genders can be top, high-flying lawyers, doctors, CEOs, nurses, teachers, >insert profession of choice<....

Further by being a woman and saying you want Sexual Equality you are automatically limiting yourself... do you really want to say to your daughters "hey sweetie if you work really, really hard and one day if you're lucky you can be equal to a man??" I think not. I would rather say to my child, son or daughter, "If you work really, really hard you can achieve anything you want too." 

Germaine Greer that famous of all feminists actually came up with a concept of Sexual Equivalence which recognises men and women are different but that neither should be penalised for that differences and they should be treated equivalently. I asked my eldest the other day if she believed in Sexual Equality bearing in mind she's rapidly approaching teen years and goes to an all girls school. Her thoughtful reply, perhaps unsurprisingly, was that No, she wasn't really interested in competing to be seen the same as a man (she felt that wasn't much of a challenge but the sarcasm detracts from my point!) but that in doing the best she could which may involve going "beyond' those things that men can achieve. And this is not a subversive attempt to say female difference make them better than men

So whilst I absolutely don't recommend woman to go all witheringly pathetic (grrr) or men to become emotionless, muscle-driven meatheads, I do recommend to take a sense check and just give up constantly struggling to be what you're not, what you were never designed for. Achieve your best, without limitations, in your way and by doing so, teach your kids... it's ok to be different, the point is what you do with that. 

And in the meantime, fellas Valentines Day is approaching - just go sweep your woman off her feet... occasionally every woman likes their man to go a bit Ugg Ugg....