Despite what society says, men and women are different and that’s a good thing. Femininity isn’t weak and masculinity is not toxic. I know, unpopular opinion, but I think this is something we need to address as a society, and something we need to accept to not only heal the different sexes, but build stronger relationships within our marriages. Plus, accepting and acknowledging the fact men and women are different will help us raise confident kids.
Men and Women Are Different
I’m not sure when the idea of men and women being different became taboo, but I know it has done damage. I’m assuming it was during the second or third wave of feminism, but the idea that women and men are the same is false. We are different biologically and mentally and physically.
Today you see women in high stress positions competing with men, and in the end it damages their femininity, hormones, mentality, and leaves them usually unhappy in the end.
We also see men embracing femininity and become soft and weak. Or we’ve condemned masculinity so much that it’s become abuse leaving men abused and afraid to be men.
The sexes, for years, have been at each others throat, and that’s a problem. So I think it’s time we acknowledge we are different, drop this feminist pretense, so we can start to heal our femininity, masculinity, and take up the mantles God intended for us.
Biological Differences Between Men and Women
If men and women were the same biologically we would have the same brains, same sex organs, same hormones, same body types, and we don’t. As if science wasn’t enough, history also has shown us the difference (men were hunters whereas women were more gathers). So, even though I find it somewhat ludicrous that I have to explain this, I realize we live in a day and age where it has been shoved down our throats that we’re exactly the same, and we just aren’t.
1. Different Sex Organs and Chromosomes
Let’s start from the most basic of biological difference. Females have ovaries, a vagina, produce eggs, and can give birth, menstruate, and have XX chromosomes.
Men have testicles, a penis, produce sperm, and can fertilize a woman’s egg and have XY chromosomes.
2. Differing Hormones
Men and women have the same hormones, but the levels are much different and react different in our bodies.
- The main hormones in women is: Estrogen and Progesterone.
- The main hormones in men is: Testosterone.
3. Women’s Hormones
Estrogen is the main hormone of women and is mostly produced from the ovaries, though our adrenal glands and fat cells also produce small amounts of estrogen.
Estrogen affects most of what happens in a woman’s body. From the cardiovascular system to the musculoskeletal system, brain, urinary tract, reproduction, all the way to the hair and skin…estrogen plays a big part in it.
It plays a big part in the different cycles of our life from: puberty, their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause.
Progesterone helps the liner of the uterus get ready for a baby, helps with pregnancy and will help suppress estrogen after a woman ovulates.
4. Men’s Hormones
Men have very small amounts of estrogen, their main hormone is testosterone. Testosterone is produced mainly in their testicles with a small amount coming from their adrenal gland.
Testosterone helps men with a lot of things. Puberty and sex drive being one of them of course, but others things like:
- Body/facial hair
- Size of their genitals
- Sperm production
- Muscle Mass
- Strength
- Fat Distribution
It does a few other things as well, but testosterone is crucial for men. Without it men will find themselves moody, tired, weaker, with hair loss, and have less of a sex drive and possibly suffer from impotence.
Physical Differences Between Men and Women
Men and women differ physically. And by physically I mean both my appearances and by strength. There are some significant differences in men and women when it comes to how hormones and genetics play in our bodies.
5. Physical Bodies Of Women
Women tend to be smaller in stature. We are generally shorter than our male counterparts, have less muscle, and carry more fat.
I know there are exceptions, but those ladies who are taller and stronger are just that, the exception. The majority of woman fall into the first category.
Younger women tend to have 18% to 20% of fat in their bodies whereas men are quite a leaner. Older women tend to have 21% to 32% fat. The reason for this is because we have the ability to have babies. So our body holds on to more fat so we can have more energy if/when we get pregnant.
However, where you hold that fat is dependent on climate. Did you know hotter climates will hold fat in their butts, hips, and around the navel? Less fat distributed everywhere so the body won’t be as hot during harsh summers. Whereas women who live in cold climates will hold more everywhere (more evenly distributed) since it makes survival more easy in harsh winters.
Plus, due to lack of testosterone, we also have less muscle then men. And by muscle I mean muscle mass.
Skeletal wise, women have wider and deeper pelvic cavities as well as narrower shoulders and shorter ribcages.
6. Physical Bodies Of Men
Men tend to be larger in stature. Men are usually taller than female counterparts, have more muscle, and less fat.
Again, there are exceptions, I’m talking about the average.
Men, particularly younger men generally have 8% to 19% fat and older men 11% to 21%. And we already mentioned men have more muscle mass, but how much more? Men have about 10% more muscle mass than women according to Healthy Living.
The fat men do have is usually stored in the upper body region, particularly the abdominal region. Think the “beer belly.”
Skeletal wise, men have narrower and shallower pelvic cavities, broader shoulders, and longer ribcages.
Mental Differences Between Men and Women
Men and women think very differently, feel differently, and even are more predisposed to certain mental disorders. We are not all the same, therefore, we should all not be treated the same.
7. The Mind Of A Woman
My husband makes a joke about my mind have 100 tabs open at once and that’s true. Women’s minds are busier according to a study done at Amen Clinics in 2017. There were 80 areas of the brain analyzed and in 70 of those regions, women’s brains showed way more activity than men’s brains.
Women also tend to use a few different areas of the brain when it comes to problem solving as well.
Women have more activity in the prefrontal cortex as well which is used for judgement, impulse control, planning, and empathy. Because of this, women are typically less likely to take risks.
Did you know a woman’s brain also is more active in the limbic system? Which is also known as the emotional system. This is why women are typically better at bonding, more emotional, and nesting. This explains why we tend to be caretakers. Higher activity in the emotional system also means we are more likely to feel depression and anxiety.
The anterior cingulate gyrus works harder in a woman’s brain. This helps us shift attention and see errors. Because women have higher activity in this area of the brain, they tend to get stuck in negative thoughts and behaviors. Also, it is one of the “worry centers” which means we worry more.
It turns out the area in our brains that are visual centers and coordination centers work less in our brains. Which is why many women are not good at judging distances, dealing with directions, or even finding our cars in a parking lot.
So, this one is cool. Research shows that women have bigger areas in their brains that track gut feelings in the frontal lobes. We are better at assessing thoughts about other people based on little information, hunches, and/or feelings.
Women have less neurotransmitter serotonin than men. Lower levels can affect mood, sleep, pain, and cause other mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive thinking, worrying, and pain.
8. The Mind Of A Man
The same study at Amen Clinics was done on men as well who found less activity in those 80 areas than women. Men typically have less busy brains.
My husband likes to put it this way. There is a box for every thought and the nothing box. If they aren’t thinking of something from on of those boxes, they stay in the nothing box.
Meaning it’s easier for them to turn their thoughts off. Also, men rely on a more localized effort when it comes to problem solving.
Because men have less activity in their prefrontal cortex they are more likely to take risks which puts them at higher risk for injury.
Due to the lower activities in the limbic system, men are naturally less emotional. I’m not saying men don’t have feelings, they do, however, they tend to not be as emotional as women and actually have to work harder when it comes to bonding and nurturing. Less activity in the limbic system also means they are less susceptible to depression and anxiety.
Men also worry, see errors, and problems, however, men tend to worry less and differently because of lack of activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus.
Did you know that the visual and coordination centers work harder in men? Which is why they’re great at judging distances, dealing with directions, and finding the car in the parking lot with ease. Which makes sense, my husband can easily judge 800 feet where I have no idea how big 800 feet is. I can’t even visualize it.
Men don’t have intuition like women, they do have gut feelings. I think women tend to have a better intuition due to them being more emotional and being more in tune with their feelings.
But men do have gut feelings, but it’s also different. It’s a more deep rooted intuition, like knowing how to get to point a to point b without asking for directions when they’ve never been there before or looked at a map.
Men actually produce 52% more serotonin than women which means men tend to be calmer, sleep easier, tolerate more pain among other things. Because of this, men are also less prone to anxiety and depression.
God Made Men And Different Differently
God made men and women differently. We are made in the image of Him, but God made us very different for a purpose because we represent different parts of Him.
Genesis 2:7-25 talks about how God made man and God made woman so man wouldn’t be lonely.
9. What Does God Expect From Women?
God expects women to be beautiful. Not necessarily physically beautiful with makeup and jewels, but beautiful internally. (1 Peter 3:3-4) We are to be internally beautiful which means we are suppose to be wise, joyful, kind, and loving.
God expects other things from us too like:
- To love and respect the Lord and to believe in Him with all her heart (1 Corinthians 7:34 and Proverbs 31:30-31)
- To be diligent in her work (Acts 16:14, Acts 9:36, Proverbs 31:16, Proverbs 31:20, and Exodus 35:25)
- To be a wife (Matthew 19:4-6, Genesis 2:22-24)
- To be a helper to her husband (Proverbs 31:28-29, 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, Genesis 2:18)
- To love her husband and to respect him (Titus 2:4-5, Ephesians 5:33, 1 Peter 3:1-2)
- To submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-24 and 1 Corinthians 11:3)
- To be a mother (1 Timothy 5:9-10, Genesis 21:6-7, Proverbs 23:25)
- To care for her home (1 Timothy 5:14, Proverbs 14:1, Proverbs 31:15)
- She needs to support the church (Philippians 4:3 and Romans 16:1-2)
- To learn quietly in the church (in a respectful manner, not the shut up and sit down sentiment people tend to think) (1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:11-13)
- To be respectable (Ruth 3:11, 1 Peter 3:4-6, 1 Timothy 3:11, 1 Timothy 2:9-10)
- To teach younger women (Titus 2:3-5, Proverbs 31:26, Acts 18:26)
10. What Does God Expect of Men?
God made the major covenants in the Bible with men. God has given men a hard mantle to take up. God expects men to:
- God wants men to work hard (Genesis 2:15)
- Men are called to love (Matthew 22:37-39)
- To be a husband (Genesis 2:24)
- To lead his wife and be head of the home (Ephesians 5:23-24)
- To be a father (Proverbs 23:24, Hebrews 12:7, Ephesians 6:4)
- To provide for his family and for others (1 Timothy 5:8)
- To sacrifice and serve (John 15:13 and Ephesians 5:25)
- To be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13)
- Be courageous (Joshua 1:9)
- To be honorable (Proverbs 20:7 and Philippians 4:8)
- To be accountable (1 Corinthians 11:3)
- To teach younger men (Titus 2:2-12)
God Made Us Different
God made us different. Men and women are equal, but are different. We cannot do the same things physically, mentally, and have different mantles to take up. That doesn’t make one gender less than the other, but to treat everyone the same is gross. Men are meant to protect, to be wild, to provide, whereas women can provide, but we are called to nurture, love, and grow those around us in our families.
If you are interested in learning how men and women differ I would suggest the books Wild At Heart and Captivating: Unveiling the Secrets Of A Woman’s Soul, as well as the Bible.
Honestly, I know I threw a lot of facts at y’all, and there are more things I want to get into, but this post is long enough. But I’m just tired of hearing that women and men are the exact same and that men and women should handle everything the same exact way. We need to let go of that lie and accept that we are different, heck, we should celebrate it! It’s truly a good thing.
We compliment each other, help bring out or should help bring out the best in one another and play an important part in marriage, family life, work place, and even our community. We each represent a different part of God.
Did I miss anything? What other ways are men and women different?
