Men and Women: Their Contributions to the World
Men and Women:
Their Contributions to the World
There
are various criteria to judge contribution of an individual to the society and
civilization. However, Prizes awarded each year in different disciplines by the
Swedish Nobel Committee may be considered indisputably as the most prestigious,
impartial and comprehensive yardstick. It is given each year since 1901 in
areas of natural sciences (Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine), Economics,
Literature and Peace. As the Chart shows that in each area, especially in
Sciences and Economics, it is completely dominated by men. Even in Peace and
Literature (often considered “soft” discipline and women being master of the
domain), women received only 15% and 11% of the total Nobel Prizes
presented since 1901. The same is true for the Pulitzer Prizes given in prose,
poetry, letters, music and drama each year. They are overwhelmingly represented
by men.

Even in cooking, which has
traditionally been women territory, men excel. All famous Chief and for each
variety of cooking (French, Italian, American, Mexican Chinese, Indian, Thai,
Korean — list goes on) without question are ruled by men.
What are with “men”: why do
they dominate all significant progress in human history hands down? Whether it
is art, science, literature, painting, music, drama or technology – you just
name it. Or in the opposite spectrum: inflicting terror, war, murder, plunder
and rape. Such as war criminals like Genghis Khan and Hitler, serial killer
like Jack the Ripper, just to name a few — were all men.
I believe that most women are
similar in thinking and action — very little deviation from the average. Men,
on the other hand, have high proportion of “aberration” — deviation from the
norm. Geniuses or Noble Laureates are abnormal and exceptional people. You may
consider them wild, crazy, obsessive or any other name you may coin, but they
don’t fit in the strait jacket of the society norm. And they are the one who
make revolutionary contributions to civilization. Actually, most women may be
better than men for all practical purposes. But for a breakthrough and a
revolutionary idea and creation, you have to be exceptional with no or little
precedence. And men possess those characteristics decisively.
Without these contributions, society
would have been medieval. The luxurious lifestyle, material possession and
living standard that most of us are accustomed today, could not have been even
dreamy. It would be basically a “static” society, which in many ways may have
been better: slow, peaceful and less stressful. Not today’s rat race of “go and
get going! Non-stop”.
It is not that women are not smart
or even as numerate as men in higher learning. But as Larry Summers, past
President of the Harvard University once said “They don’t have the killer
instinct, they don’t want to fight, and they won’t go for the jugular.” Actually,
proportion of women in university enrolment is higher than men. And at least
for the last two generations in the Western world, they were having complete
freedom to pursue any education and career. But they are far behind in the
level of scholarship and contributions to science, art and literature as proven
clearly in the number of Nobel Prize winners.
Today’s women are proud of their
economic freedom and achievements. They are no longer subject to men
subjugation and dictation. The number of women as bread winner of the family is
exponentially increasing in many Western countries and in fact it already
exceeded men in a few countries. But along with it goes stress, depression,
pressure, tension of the working world that women have to experience now.
Women failed to realize grand scheme
of things planned by men. In old days, men were hunter, gatherer and bread
winner. Women were basically to take care of home, family and children. These
were the days when outside work (especially, hunting) was extremely risky,
uncertain and could be fatal. Domestic chores were routine, well defined and
known, though challenging.
Then men developed the technology,
appliances and a work environment where gender became immaterial. In fact, in
many jobs, women can be more efficient than men. But these outside jobs are
demanding, taxing and stressful. Now women have started experiencing diseases
(like heart attack and depression), which once was predominantly men
prerogative.
In return, more and more men started
taking refuge at home. The place where work is routine and well defined. Men do
not need to toil and lose their comfort. They got machines (which they
invented) like cooking range, washer, dryer, vacuum cleaner which can easily
and very efficiently perform their daily chores.
Think about the smartness of men.
When outside job became extremely challenging and stressful, women themselves
ventured out in drove thinking as real success of their feminine movement. When
homework, on the other hand, became so relaxed and stress-free due to
convenience of modern appliances and time scheduling, more and more men took
control of home.
Even in the area of warfare, for
which men had been paying price in terms of loss of life and limbs in thousands
and millions since the dawn of civilization, they have smartened. They
developed matured political system and technological advancements. Most
differences of nations are now sorted out by diplomacy and political means. War
machines have become precise and sophisticated to hit the enemy target with
minimal harm to fighting force and causing little collateral damages
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