# What are the differences between men and women?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-differences-between-men-and-women/1015688>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 16, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-differences-between-men-and-women/1015688 "2025-03-16T22:42:38Z")\
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**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:** [March 18, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-differences-between-men-and-women/1015688/77 "2025-03-18T15:43:56Z")

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> [@Tibby](#):
>
> > [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
> >
> > Men are better athletes.
> 
> Higher testosterone gives men more muscle mass, strength, and oxygen efficiency, giving them an advantage in many sports. But women often outperform men in sports that favor flexibility, balance, endurance, and precision.
> 
> Sports where men excel:  
> • Power & Speed Sports: Sprinting, weightlifting, wrestling, football, rugby, baseball, and throwing events.  
> • Endurance & Cardio: Cycling, long-distance running (except ultra-endurance).  
> • Explosive Sports: Basketball, soccer, ice hockey, tennis (serve speed).  
> • Extreme Strength & Combat: Powerlifting, strongman, boxing.
> 
> Sports where women excel:  
> • Flexibility & Precision: Gymnastics, figure skating, diving.  
> • Ultra-Endurance: Marathon swimming, ultramarathons.  
> • Coordination & Strategy: Archery, shooting, equestrian, curling.  
> • Balance & Technique: Snowboarding, rock climbing, long-distance cycling.
> 
> Closing the Gap  
> • Swimming & Tennis: Differences are minor.  
> • Esports & Motorsports: Strength is irrelevant, allowing equal competition.
> 
> But, adjusting for size, no man or woman could compete against the sheer athleticism and flexibility of a cat. 😼

men excel in marathon swimming, long distance cycling, swimming, rock climbing and ultra marathons. Like I mentioned men have larger hearts, larger lungs, more hemoglobin per liter of blood, higher VO2 max, more skeletal muscle, etc.

> **[Ultramarathon | IAU World Record and World Best performances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramarathon#IAU_World_Record_and_World_Best_performances)**
>
> Until 2014, the IAU maintained lists of the world best performances on different surfaces (road, track, and indoor). Starting in 2015, the distinction between the surfaces was removed and the records were combined into a single category. Some governing bodies continue to keep separate ultramarathon track and road records for their jurisdictions.
> Starting in January 2022, the IAU began to recognize and ratify performances as IAU World Records. World Athletics also began to ratify the 50k distance...

Men even outperform women in archery

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Olympic\_records\_in\_archery#Women’s\_records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_records_in_archery#Women's_records)

As far as tennis, the Williams sisters were ranked #1 in tennis for women. They were beaten by a man 6-1 who was ranked #203 in men’s tennis.

> **[Battle of the Sexes (tennis) | 1998: Karsten Braasch vs. the Williams sisters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sexes_(tennis)#1998:_Karsten_Braasch_vs._the_Williams_sisters)**
>
> Another event dubbed a "Battle of the Sexes" took place during the 1998 Australian Open between Karsten Braasch and the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena Williams were aged 17 and 16 at the time and neither had yet won a Grand Slam tournament, but they claimed that they could beat any male player ranked outside the world's top 200. So Braasch, then ranked 203rd, challenged them both. He was 30 years old and was described by one journalist as "a man whose training regime centered around a pac 
> Br...

As far as gymnastics, it depends on the event. Events that require flexibility are ones where women dominate. Events that require upper body strength are dominated by men.

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