History to Male Dominance

The history leading up to male dominating workforce and society. Pros and cons of a male dominated environment.

At the first glance of a male and a female, be it people from the same family and generation or people from totally different bloodlines, it is likely that we are able to spot differences between the two genders by their physical appearances. Nonetheless, male and female humans are all part of the same species – mankind; most of us have a pair of eyes, two pairs of limbs, and a brain with similar structures. How different can they be in the genetic makeup and physiology? Over the years of technological and biological advancement, scientists have determined over 100 specific differences between the male and female brains that affect the the way they think, speak, and interact with others. The fact that males and females have light years of differences because of the presence or absence of the main sex chromosomes has inevitably brought about a whole history of males presiding over the female gender, and the continual prepotent power of males in societies all over the world. The following seeks to analyse the antecedent that led to our current world of a generally male dominated educational institution and workplace, and the likely benefits and unforeseen circumstances from such a condition.

(P) Primarily, the main reason for the mostly male influenced environment in the world can be due to the beliefs in religions that have been passed down from ancient times. (Ex) Majority of the religions and beliefs in our world today have teachings and sayings that are in favour of male governance over females. (Eg) For example, the Christian Bible states that wives are to submit to their husbands, and husbands are the heads of their wives; the Islamic Quran avers that women should solely serve their families, and men should be the main decision-makers for their families; the Buddhist Tripitaka preaches that women can choose to have enlightenment, but only men can become buddhas. (Ev) These are just a few of the different religions on Earth that are bias toward the authority of men over women, having different words but the same meaning conveyed. People devoted to religions, which is a huge percentage of 80% of the world’s population, are likely to hold on to such believes especially since they are from the holy books of their religions. As so many people have put their faiths in these beliefs of men presiding over women, it is ineluctable that most of the population on Earth, including those not in a religion of such a belief, may find themselves inheriting such a mindset as well. This may cause men to abuse their powers in many situations, such as at workplaces, where men are still able to influence more decisions made in the workplaces than women are due to gender stereotypes that men should have more power over women, which may cause many women to fear or dread pursuing their own career goals. This has also led to the widespread belief, especially in more traditional countries, that women should not have the liberty to pursue their own aspirations in their education or careers, since their whole lives should be dedicated to their husbands and families. As a result, in many traditional countries, women are forced to stay home all the time, and men will be the ones to govern the society and workplaces. (L) Therefore, preaching in religion can be the main factor or influence in people’s mindsets in regards to the right way things should be for men and women.

(P) Differences in the physical attributes of genders could have been the start of all the gender roles and stereotypes to cause men to hold great control over the workforce and society. (Ex) All religions and beliefs should have an origin that made their nature the way they are now. This origin is likely to be the differences in phenotypic characteristics, or the result of a set of genes being inherited. This may be in the form of relative strength between the two sexes, dissimilarities in body structures, and the divergence of physiology in them. (Eg) For instance, males usually have greater muscle masses, larger body structures and biceps than females, making males physically stronger than females. (Ev) In this case, men have greater control over women if men were to use their physical power to oppress women. This is especially so in underdeveloped countries where women have little to no rights to live dignified lives. (P + Ex) In many countries, people worship phalluses in hopes of improving fertility or luck in life, (Eg) such as the Shinto community in Japan who holds festivals to influence fertility and successful marriages. (Ev) This shows how much men’s sexual organs are being glorified, in turn implying to women that successful marriages and careers will only come with the submission to their husbands or male bosses by treating them like gods. This strips away all rights of women by indirectly saying that men’s commands should be women’s laws, such that men are the ones to decide everything for the family and society, and women are the ones to work under the men. (P + Ex) Furthermore, it has been a widespread controversy that most women are more sensitively emotional as compared to men, which is being seen as a weak characteristic. (Eg) This was being proven by modern scientists who discovered that there are significantly more connections and blood flow in female brains’ hippocampus, which is the region that allows emotions to be felt and analysed, than the men’s. (Ev) Since majority of the society deem people as weak when emotions are shown, women are likely to be under-valued in workplaces and in society, causing them great hardship in finding employment, especially those in third world countries where emotions are not highly regarded. In such situations, women will see no other choice of living good lives other than by marrying men, especially one who has a stable and lucrative career, even if they do not have romantic feelings toward them. In turn, the whole idea that marriage should be based on love will be undermined, and people are more likely to have unhappy marriages than before, which diffuses the social fabric of society, merely because of the society’s beliefs in gender roles. (L) Hence, the differences in physical attributes of genders is a possible reason for the formation of gender roles and stereotypes to bring about such a high percentage of men in the elite workforce.

(P) There are, however, economic advantages to having a male dominated environment in workplaces that require certain male attributes to function effectively. (Ex) Males boost efficiency in certain sectors of the economy which require the male characteristics, like strength, effective concentration, and dominance in character and influence. (Eg) Some examples of such workplaces could be the construction industry, the I.T. (Information Technology) and research industries, and the disciplinary sectors in society. (Ev) Due to the fact that labour in the form of physical strength is required in the employment, the construction sector in most societies have a high average of 95% males. Furthermore, since it had been proven by scientists that males have greater concentration abilities in comparison with females, and females tend to get distracted more easily than males, the I.T. and research industries, who require people with more focus in thoughts, are likely to employ a greater number of males as opposed to females. Also, due to the fact that most males have higher levels of testosterones than females, they may sound more aggressive and domineering, allowing them to be more suitable candidates for the disciplinary jobs that require them to have control over others. Thus, the employment of individuals in many workplaces is oftentimes likely to boil down to their sexes, where the employment of males instead of females are likely to heighten the productivity of work in the above mentioned industries. (L) Henceforth, a male dominated environment in certain workplaces with requirements in male characteristics can be beneficial in boosting the economic efficiency in the industry.

(P) Nonetheless, male dominated environments in workplaces that require certain female attributes to function well may have its disadvantages as well. (Ex) Males alone can cause the effectivity of workplaces to stagnate in industries that require female traits like interactiveness, patience, and high levels of emotions. (Eg) Industries as such include the service industry, the teaching industry, and psychological help centers in society. (Eg + Ev) The service industry requires people to communicate products and services with customers, which may be more difficult for men, as most men have less oxytocin than women, the hormone that allows for people to interact and relate with one another. As such, if men were to dominate the service industry as opposed to women, the effectivity of bringing quality service to customers may fall substantially. The teaching industry mostly requires people to be tolerating of students who may take some time to learn new academic topics, which may be harder for men to do due to their relatively high levels of testosterone – the hormone that causes men to be more aggressive, and low levels of serotonin – the hormone that allows people to sit still and be calm. As a result, if men were to hold most of the jobs in the teaching industry, men may not be able to communicate academic topics fully, and students may have to find other alternatives such as tuition to catch up on their studies. Consequently, the effectiveness of the educational industry may be questioned. The psychological help centers in society may include counselling services and psychological therapies, which requires people to be able to feel and relate to one another. Since males are less able to feel as strong or as long emotions as compared to men, if men were to dominate such an industry, people who visit these help centers may not get the specific and individual emotional and mental help they may need. This lowers debunks the psychological help centers’ role in providing effective aid to people in need. Therefore, a male dominated environment in certain workplaces with requirements in female characteristics can be unfavourable in maintaining the social fabric of society and the financial world.

On the other hand, ethically, men and women should not be subjected to gender stereotypes due to differences in every individual. Some men may be born with more female traits than many others, and some women may be born with more male traits than the average female. To categorise people into groups may be the best way to go in the past, but not now – in modern times with advancement in technology, widening of job scopes, and education provided in most developed countries for both males and females. Hence, an individual should not be put into an environment just because of their birth gender, but because of their individuality.

In short, males may have dominated many environments like the educational sector and workplaces over the years, because of religion and physical differences in comparison with females, but it is also good to be aware about the benefits and undesired outcomes of having such an environment. All in all, it is possible for males and females to work together for an improved society and workplace, socially and financially. Since both males and females have their desirable and inadequate points, there may be greater potential in life if both genders are to work together in both the homes and the workplaces, for males use their capabilities to help females change their incapabilities, and for females use their competencies to help males change their incompetencies.