A recent NY Times opinion piece discussed how much of our sex-related behavior is “hard-wired.” The articles questioned those behaviors which we believe to be inherited in men vs. women. For example we know that men think about sex way more often than women do, and we’ve seen studies that show that men are way less picky about who they will have sex with. Basically, we’ve assumed these traits to be inherited. Men are like this because…let’s just face it. They are men.
Well this article raised two really fundamental questions:
- Is what we’re assuming about men and women actually the case? Or have the studies we’ve seen been flawed and therefore inaccurate? Do people who answer studies lie or distort the truth because they think they should be behaving a certain way?
- Even if we assume these studies are right, is it all really hereditary or are some of these behaviors things men and women learn as they march through life?
These aren’t terribly new questions, but I am particularly intrigued by the first question, because I guess, in my heart of hearts, I don’t think men and women always behave so differently when it comes to sex. I think PEOPLE respond quite differently, but I always feel like it has more to do with socioeconomic situations, levels of education, birth cultures, religious beliefs and family values than just men vs. women.
And frankly, I believe that in the end it’s better for everyone if we don’t pigeonhole them. Thinking outside the box allows men and women to act more like…themselves…rather than how they think other men or other women would act. And that is a really good thing.
