Let's continue to suspend disbelief, and continue to pretend for a moment that women and men are actually even intellectually. Of course, to do this, we'd have to ignore the fact that there is no female Shakespeare, Einstein, Da Vinci, Patton, Frank Lloyd Wright, Van Gogh, Marx, Dizzy Gillispie or Louis Pasteur (who? Oprah? Margaret Mitchell? Georgia O'Keefe?). In Western society, through ridiculous laws to destroy the advantage men have genetically, we've created laws like Title IX and EOE and laws that made free speech illegal and even a form of abuse--all in the name of protecting the weaker sex. SO, let's pretend that women are the same as men, ingnoring their higher rates of depression, their PMS, or the fact that I could father 1,000,000 children in lifetime, while a women could produce a mere handful. Let's just say there is a scrap of bread on the floor, and no other food left on the planet. 99 out of 100 times, the man is going to get that scrap of food before the women because he is faster, stronger and more agile. My meaning? Even if the sexes were even intellectually, they are so uneven physically--and don't give me slanted statistics about heart disease and lifespans--men's superior physicallity shortens his life through adventure and war. Men have, through guilt and malaise, allowed discourse such as this article to permeate our culture and teach us to live with Big Lies, and even allow the foundation to be laid for still bigger ones, like promiscuous women are a step forward for the females of the species. First, men love promiscuous women--for sex. Yes, please, females of the species: ruin yourselves by believing you too can have numerous partners without repercussions. Never mind the millions of years of evolution that show you can not. You are not built that way physically or emotionally, but so what? Somehow, you've been told by "researchers" at liberal Northeast think tanks that acting like men is what's best for you (It ain't). But we men will gladly give you a roll while we search for a female who remains true to her femininity and psyche. Meanwhile, while millions of you end up on Prozac, or addicted to Valium, we'll keep scoping out those yoga classes for the mid-day practitioners--sans rock, of course--who, desperate to keep up with the nubile 20-somethings actually now pay when we go on dates. It's a brave new world, folks. And yes, women are still the weaker sex, even though there are laws in place to help you 'overcome.' You shan't. And as has been shown throughout history, and is still being shown in the Middle East and Asia--just be glad you live in a culture where men GRANTED you the right to be ignorant and ungrateful--because if you lived anyplace else, you'd get stoned to death halfway through your first downward dog.

You are so right. We should totally be looking to the Middle East as a guide for our values. I propose you spend a few decades there so that you can fully enlighten us.

When I first saw the title of this post, I expected it to be a dull sexist rant, but in fact it is so well written I completely agree with it.

Women tend to have better verbal skills than men.

Women are also able to give birth, which is kind helpful in continuing our species. With the invention of mammal cloning, women could successfully reproduce without men. Men, on the other hand, cannot reproduce without women, even with cloning.

Further, you listed several accomplished men, but you neglected to mention that through most of history, men subjugated women, which in all likelihood prevented them from accomplishing excellence in those fields.

Your post seems pretty ignorant.

Men have used their extra portion of physical strength and aggression to control things. That proves they're superior in one way, but in every way? Why does it bother you that men in this society prefer to create the "illusion" that women are equal? Is this threatening in some way?

I am one of the few women left breathing who actually believe that men are superior to women. They make more money for a reason. We bear the children. When the children are sick, we miss days at work. When we're pregnant, we miss days at work. When we're hormonal, we're not performing as well. When we give birth, we stay home for 6 weeks. We have an obligation to children and family that men do not, so as far as men being higher wage earners, I totally understand. And this is coming from a woman whose husband earns more than twice as much as she does and works much less.

I like having men in positions of authority. I have a male boss. I have male doctors. I vote for male candidates. I believe, with the absence of female hormones, men are more inclined to make rational decisions.

Stone me if ya like. I'll still go home and take care of my husband.

I was going to reply but all the big words made my ovaries hurt and I had to go lie down.

Wow, I didn't know Neaderthals were still up and roaming around, let alone that they could use computers.

I think that your discomfort with the fact that science and research has actually proven that we are in fact *gasp* human, and time has shown that we can achieve success in business, be as well educated and still be financially independent as any man just goes to show that you are one weak individual. If you still cling to the notion of a barefoot and pregnant female in the kitchen as being the only feminine ideal, then maybe you can move to one of those nations to which you feel such an affinty and I'm certain you'll find your dream girl.

Those cultures that you laud are changing, albeit slowly, as well. Women are gaining ground in the political realm, and, unfortunately for you, may yet attain the equal footing that they seek. That is until men of your calibre get out their machine guns and see no other way but violence and oppression to get what they want. Heaven forbid they use their brains.

Superior how, Meredith? Like, bench pressing? Or like, superior in that they give you money for nothing.

Because if it's the latter, I totally agree. Giving me free shit makes a person superior to those who make me pay my way. I find this truth to be self-evident.

Meredith, all I ask is that you rear your daughters with every opportunity you give your sons. You're grown and may think as you like without fear of stoning; it's a free country. But please work to make sure that the girls in your life get every chance to challenge your views. I had two friends in law school whose mothers felt and voted just like you. They had to pay their own way through college and grad school because their families didn't think women were as well-suited to academic/rational pursuits as men. One's a law professor now and one's in charge of a non-profit organization but nothing they've accomplished would have meant as much to them as a mom or dad who believed in them.

I make more money than my fiance. I manage some men at work. My bosses at my last 2 jobs were female. Wake up...

Many of these responding posts prove my point. Women can cast aspersions with no trace of irony, but men who chastise or state strong opinion, they are pigs. Point by point, my assertion that there is no female Shakespeare was denounced by one respondent as the result of men oppressing women. How did they oppress the females? Being far superior physically. As the point I tried to make with my post, if we are even intellectually, but men are superior physically--bigger, stronger, faster--are we even? Only by a massive rationalization and selective reasoning can we even have a discussion that the sexes are even because, by any scientific or measurable standard, we aren't even close. And let's look at what has happened when females are the leaders: Benizir Bhutto, Imelda Marcos, Golda Meier (sorry about these spellings), Margaret Thatcher, all these women were either corrupt, or they were male-like hawks. Camille Paglia says, "If women ran the world we'd all still be living in grass huts." My point being, that because they are victims, women have been allowed to say what they want (i.e. men are pigs) with immunity. While true analysis in regards to the differences between men and women has been discouraged because the results do not fare well for females. What is curious, is why are females so desperate to be the same as men? Would it not be enough to be the best female one could be?

Wow, this was funny. This guy is a really hate-filled jerk. Did it ever occur to him that women didn't product as much academically as men because there was a) no birth control so married women were constantly preggers and b) even if they were inclined to go far in school and then work in the fields of science or literature; they were discouraged strongly from doing so? I think something is wrong with you or a woman has hurt you at some point (or points) because the anger and the general hatred of women that you display here is palpable and scary. You even insult women who pay on dates. Why? You think we are jerks for PAYING on dates? I bet you would think we were jerks if we didn't offer to pay also. This guys a real card, I tell ya.

Please share these statistics that you are so fond of talking about, but never post. By what standard are you speaking intellectually? You make these statements, but have given no statistics and no hard data to back up your point, just an opinion, which is hardly convincing.

And how are any of these female leaders "male-like"? When did they remove their breasts or get sex changes? Do you deride them so because of the simple fact that they were national leaders? Are so saying male leaders of the same nations were inherently less corrupt? There are plenty of corrupt male officials in office today around the world, and you're obviously not attributing that quality to them because of sex.

Also, females of late are not trying to be men. I've never bound my breasts, cut my hair, or not put on mascara just so that I can be taken seriously and gain respect. It is simply a matter of wanting to be taken seriously and have an iota of consideration. I see that, no matter how many points are made to you, you will not see women as humans worthy of your deference.

I don't hate men, I have mostly male friends, a fiance whom I love with all my heart, and have the utmost respect for my grandfather, father and brother. But I could never have respect for a man such as you who believes that I am unworthy of the same just because of my sex.

Sicily9:

with immunity

I also believe the word you're looking for is "impunity."

Well, off the top of my head for painters there's Wang An An, Georgia O’Keefe and Frida Khalo. For authors we have the Bronte sisters, Joyce Carol Oates, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Zora Neale Hurston, etc. In the sciences there’s Barbara McClintock, Marie Curie, Linda Buck (a Nobel laureate), Gertrude Elion (also a Nobel laureate). Architecture is tougher, but we’ve still got Julia Morgan, Maya Lin and Zaha Hadid. Jazz gives us Marian McPartland, Valaida Snow, Eliane Elias.