SEEKING A BALANCE BETWEEN GENDERS

‘Biological determinism’ is an expression I heard this morning during an interesting discussion of feminism, a subject that gives me an unsettled feeling. Feminist often call for an increase in the number for female legislators using expression such as men are the same as women. The expression has an inherent conflicting; if men and women are the same, it should make do difference what the gender of the legislator is. However, we all know that they are different, that is we recognize the consequences of biological determinism, but in our maturing humanization more and more we stop short of defining what those differences might be. From the biological point of view, even the physical differences (some) need elaboration. Men are taller than women are, men are more aggressive than women are, and women are more caring than men are, for example. There is an innate tendency for men to protect their families, tribes, and nations physically. Women are more apt at protect their children than men are. Sure, some men are more like women and some women are more like men but when scientists define populations, there are many clear differences.

Evolutionary psychologists or social biologist maintains that what we are socially and culturally reflects our genetic past. The human male often fancies himself as the dominate sex. Hence, they have a tendency to control women and feel it is their biological right. Historically religious structure, the base of our political structure, has been fashioned by men. Church leaders embedded gender inequality so deeply in their teachings that what is acceptable in the confines of a church is not acceptable in secular society; for example, women must cover their heads in church but men don’t. Although, biblical law is culturally more emphatic toward women's rights than Sharia Law they both have male dominance as a base. This seems reflected in modern political structure in many ways as most people realize; Republicans favor male dominance and Democrats favor gender equality especially in the more radial evangelical areas of the country.  Women are chattel and men not only can but also must tell then what to do. Other men will shame their fellows for not being macho if he does not follow the rule laid down by biological determinism.

People do things that are so illogical as to defy reason. When this happens one of the first things I ask my self, is their behavior in their genes put there by millions of years of adaptation for survival or is it learned. I conclude that they are some kind of genetic robot? Think of the position related to reproduction in states controlled by Republicans; they want to outlaw contraception and then counter intuitively make abortion illegal; they will give women rights and take away rights as they chose. In the United States Congress, they will not vote for a Violence Against Women Act; think of the simplicity of the idea of this legislation, equally so consider the fairness of the Equal Right Amendment, which is pending.

It is important to realize that in our humanizing process that more and more we are learning to let our empathy and altruism guide our behavior. The problem is we have not yet learned how overcome biological determinism and strike a happy balance between genders but rest assured, we will.