# Is there any inherent advantage in being a male over being a female or vice versa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192 "2005-12-12T02:03:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/1 "2005-12-12T02:03:18Z")
The only advantage I can think of right now for being a male is the ability to pee out the back of a moving pick up truck. Can you think of any others? What about being a female? Any advantages over being a male? ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/2 "2005-12-12T02:06:33Z")
\ I think this belongs in M **Pee** SIMS - even if it’s not in a moving pickup truck. Moved. \ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/3 "2005-12-12T02:08:24Z")
1)Males are generally stronger physically. 2)Some say we have a better chance of getting paid more for the same job (never been convinced on that one). 3)We can’t get pregant (that could be a negative too depending on your personality). 4)We never get pressure to change our last name. 5 Bathroom lines tend to be much shorter at major events. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/4 "2005-12-12T02:09:26Z")
Here are some lists of this type of thing from the net. [http://www.rakkav.com/homeworlds/funnybones/pages/beingmale.htm](http://www.rakkav.com/homeworlds/funnybones/pages/beingmale.htm) ---
**Author:** ![MRirian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@MRirian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MRirian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/5 "2005-12-12T02:27:42Z")
Being a girl isn’t so bad. 1)It’s easier to get what we want. 2)We get to wear pretty stuff and do our hair and make up. 3)Even if women are sometimes (mistakenly) thought to be inferior to men in intelligence, talent, etc., that actually has some advantages. Being underestimated and unsuspected are good things. 4)We have a longer life expectancy. 5)When couples get divorced, doesn’t the woman usually get most of the good stuff? Or, is this just a stereotype? 6)Women are “worshiped” more in the media than men. Like, as in models and such. But yeah, guys don’t have to worry about being called a slut. Also, I think women are raped a lot more than men. Plus, we have to deal with menstrual cramps and stained underwear (not to be gross). Shagnasty: The more modern way of thinking is that if the girl is pregnant, so is the guy. He doesn’t have to go through the pain, but has to take responsibility more than in the past (if the girl is willing to take him to court). Don’t know exactly what you meant by “can’t get pregnant,” so sorry if you only meant the physical aspect. Unfortunately, being a woman is much more advantageous if you are an attractive woman. Something to ponder. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/6 "2005-12-12T02:40:24Z")
> [@MRirian](#): > > 5)When couples get divorced, doesn’t the woman usually get most of the good stuff? Or, is this just a stereotype? > > Shagnasty: The more modern way of thinking is that if the girl is pregnant, so is the guy. He doesn’t have to go through the pain, but has to take responsibility more than in the past (if the girl is willing to take him to court). Don’t know exactly what you meant by “can’t get pregnant,” so sorry if you only meant the physical aspect. Number 5 is a myth. I recently read a statistic on this, that after a divorce a man’s standard of living goes up 10%, a woman’s declines by some different percentage, considerably larger than 10%, though. There is a saying that many women are only one marriage away from poverty. The woman does have an easier case generally getting custody of the kids, which is generally a plus for her, but that also comes with the cost of their upkeep, which generally is not. All the generallys are b/c YMMV a lot in divorce situations. And the physical part of getting pregnant is still a disadvantage. Until recently the risk of dying in childbirth was significant, and it still is in the developing world. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/7 "2005-12-12T02:45:30Z")
You know, I remember an offline version of this discussion I was in the middle of from way back when. The proverbial “yeah, but we can write our names in the snow” came up. Til the day I die, I will always remember the response: “We can too! We just have to scuttle around a lot!” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/8 "2005-12-12T03:33:27Z")
> [@MRirian](#): > > Shagnasty: The more modern way of thinking is that if the girl is pregnant, so is the guy. He doesn’t have to go through the pain, but has to take responsibility more than in the past (if the girl is willing to take him to court). Don’t know exactly what you meant by “can’t get pregnant,” so sorry if you only meant the physical aspect. What the hell? Aside from that idiot phrase “we’re pregnant!” I have never heard such a thing. Your way just translates to “being the parent of an underdeveloped child”. [S: (adj) pregnant (carrying developing offspring within the body or being about to produce new life)](http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pregnant). Anyway, I was talking about the physical difference. That is a pretty big one no? I am a father and I saw what my wife goes through for 9 months during pregnancy. It ends in one of two painful ways in the hospital. Men can’t do that. P.S. There is no way I am going to walk around telling anyone that I am pregnant when I have a child on the way. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/9 "2005-12-12T03:38:19Z")
Multiple orgasms. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/10 "2005-12-12T03:42:52Z")
> [@Queen Tonya](#): > > Multiple orgasms. I think that’s about as common in women as it is in men 😉 Anyway, I think spatial awareness is a big one. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/11 "2005-12-12T03:45:23Z")
Men don’t have as many eating disorders, body issues or autoimmune disorders. We also earn more and do not really have to worry about being sexually assaulted after we become independent adults. Women don’t have as much autism and they have a longer life expectancy. And their hair is nicer looking. And they are not victims of murder and violent crime as much as men. Plus women are more allowed to show weakness or insecurity w/o being insulted for it. Overall I really don’t know who has it better. ---
**Author:** ![MRirian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@MRirian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MRirian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/12 "2005-12-12T03:46:21Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > What the hell? Aside from that idiot phrase “we’re pregnant!” I have never heard such a thing. Your way just translates to “being the parent of an underdeveloped child”. > > [S: (adj) pregnant (carrying developing offspring within the body or being about to produce new life)](http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pregnant). > > Anyway, I was talking about the physical difference. That is a pretty big one no? I am a father and I saw what my wife goes through for 9 months during pregnancy. It ends in one of two painful ways in the hospital. Men can’t do that. > > P.S. There is no way I am going to walk around telling anyone that I am pregnant when I have a child on the way. No, I fully agree. I was just confused what you meant by “We can’t get pregnant.” As you are a married man, it makes sense that the first thing you would think of is a married couple, and would assume that they would stay together and raise the child as a couple. I guess that as a teenager, I just saw it as two people fucking and the girl getting knocked up and having to deal with it. The guy goes on his merry way boinking random girls and the females involved can have their lives changed… I didn’t know whether “having and raising a child” was part of what you meant by “getting pregnant.” ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/13 "2005-12-12T03:46:40Z")
I’m pretty okay trading no refractory period for the occasional wrong turn, y’know? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/14 "2005-12-12T14:40:40Z")
Wow, no one’s got it yet? I’m talking about THE main reason why (being a guy) \> (being a girl). Note that I am not saying “guys \> girls,” in fact on most occasions I prefer the company of women. 😃 At any rate, the number one, premiere, be all and end all reason is … 1. No menstrual cycle. Guys don’t have to bleed out of their groin every month and get cranky about it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/15 "2005-12-12T14:56:47Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > Wow, no one’s got it yet? I’m talking about THE main reason why (being a guy) \> (being a girl). Note that I am not saying “guys \> girls,” in fact on most occasions I prefer the company of women. 😃 > > At any rate, the number one, premiere, be all and end all reason is … > > 1. No menstrual cycle. Guys don’t have to bleed out of their groin every month and get cranky about it. \*\*MRirian \*\*mentioned it already - but if you notice, it was way down on her list of considerations, as I suspect it is for most women. Me, I’ll gladly suffer a menstruual cylce if it means never having an erection in public! ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/16 "2005-12-12T16:41:01Z")
Advantage to being a male: Your father won’t threaten to kill someone for defiling your virginal body. He’d be more likely to chuck you on the arm and say ‘Way to go, son.’ ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/17 "2005-12-12T16:46:43Z")
Men can pee and write their name in the snow at the same time. Women never have to worry about whether or not their children are their own. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/18 "2005-12-12T16:54:58Z")
_Cough_Differing Pay rates_Cough_ ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/19 "2005-12-12T16:58:03Z")
Advantage of being a male over being a female? Is it better to be the flame or the fuel? Food or feces? Snow or steam? Life’s a bitch–you die either way. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192/20 "2005-12-12T17:01:17Z")
Damnit, my example was caused by society, not an inherit disadvantage. :smack: I am a :wally . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-inherent-advantage-in-being-a-male-over-being-a-female-or-vice-versa/335192.md?page=2)