Which sex is the weaker position in the current Western culture?

I said women but there has to be a disclaimer on that. Women CAN be but most cede their power becasue they either lack the confidence or just aren't interested in it. Women could rule the world if they put their mind to it but I don't think most are interested enough in it to do the things that would have to be done, as men do.

I think women make good managers and leaders but in my experience, I haven't seen many at all that will put the hours into the job or make the sacrifices for the job that women do. With my current job, I travel the globe and don't go back to the US for 1-3 months at a time. My wife couldn't do that because she is the primary care giver to our children and she would have it no other way.

It may look or sound glamorous but I'm tired of living out of suit-cases and wondering where the hell I am every morning. I'd much rather be home every day with my daughters than traveling the globe and working 84-100 hours a week.

I'd say male, but I'd need a clearer question. Weaker in what way? Women can have sex all they want when they want. Sexually, the woman is naturally in a power position. She chooses and rejects. Generally speaking of course. A few men wield a lot of sexual power as well.

Jessica made a good point as well. Women (as a species) tend to have different priorities. They may be ambitious and successful, but for most their number one priority is their children (if they have them). That's not to say some men don't feel that way. But in general, the instinct to devote most of their time to their children, to be there and watch them grow, is hard wired for women.

The core Western belief relating to the gender is the value of the females over the value of the males. The concept for the general value for all the humans regardless of their gender is still very weak. Or at least those who have power don't believe in it. The higher value for the females explains well how FTMs are far more accepted than MTFs. FTMs are seen as women and so deserving the chivalry.   

Quote from: formerMTF on February 18, 2013, 03:25:33 AM
The core Western belief relating to the gender is the value of the females over the value of the males. The concept for the general value for all the humans regardless of their gender is still very weak. Or at least those who have power don't believe in it. The higher value for the females explains well how FTMs are far more accepted than MTFs. FTMs are seen as women and so deserving the chivalry.

Say what?

If females were really valued over males there would be no need for the feminist movement..

Feminism and masculinism are two movements that question the traditional Western gender norms. Women who wanted more than the traditional roles developped the feminist movement.  Some of its beliefs like the male priviledge are really ariticial. One very big promblem currently in the Western culture is that the values of the elite (traditional) and the people (for example education system has in many places taught equaility-ideology for decades) are really different.

This is such an open question that I'm finding it hard to answer without first defining what is meant by "weaker" position.  On the one hand, you can say that women are in a weaker position because there is still a lingering tendency for men to treat them as a form of property.  On the other hand... women have an inherent value as wives and mothers and as a society we're less likely to send them off to be cannon fodder in needless wars.

For my part, I'd say that the power imbalance would be cis-conforming vs. cis-nonconforming.  The closer you come to the extremes of the "cis ideal' the more relative power you have.  It's the Chuck Norris' vs. the Woody Allens and the Uma Thurmans vs the Anne Ramseys. 

As an example, look at the bullying of gays boys in high school.  The bullying is not always triggered by an overt sexual orientation, but by a perception that someone is effeminate.  The closeted gay quarterback is less likely to be bullied for being gay then the straight president of the fashion club.  The same holds true for girls who aren't 'feminine enough'.  They get the same sort of grief for not conforming closely enough to the 'ideals'.

If I had to rank things by relative power, acceptance and opportunity in western society I'd say it's... powerful men, beautiful women, cis-men, cis-women, feminine lesbians, masculine gays, masculine lesbians/transmen, effeminate gays and transwomen.  (Your experience of this may vary depending on whether you can pass as another group higher up or lower down the chain.)

Of course this is just a generalization.  This isn't the only power dynamic out there.  There's rich/poor, extroverted/introverted, talented/untalented... but if we are talking which sex has power in society then macho men and pretty women both have an impressive arsenal.

One core reason of the better position of the women is just their value of mothers as you mentioned. In case there would be less wars currently and in the future males will be in the better place than now when the Western world think it is obligated to pursue democracy all over the world. Soon there will be wars against Iran and North Korea then perhaps against Russia and China. The selective service system will be activated and those who refuse to be drafted will be executed. Other people opposing the wars publicly may face detention under the NDAA.

Yes, the reason why gays are bullied is just the perceiced feminity. For the elite the important is that the masculinity and maybe  the feminity is enforced. For example simple sexual choice is not a very big issue for the elite. Many people in the current (conservative) elite accept the marriage equality but are absolutely against any rights to the transgendered people, (at least for MTF:s)  Sex is determined by the chromosomes in the moment of the natural birth.

For women it is a greater freedom to be masculine than males to be femine. The main reason is  just the perception of females as the more valuable sex. Some feminist misunderstand the core principles relating to the gender equality in the Western culture. The main reason the gender equality can not be reached is the perception of the females more valueable than males.  The most prominent opponets of the gender equality are females.

Neither,

People are people and both sexes have their strengths and weaknesses

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Thank you

V M