30 Things Women Don’t Understand About Men

Are men and women really that different? Are we bound to not understand each other for the rest of time? It's true that many Americans think that way. The Pew Research Center did a survey in 2017 where they asked men and women whether they see gender differences. The majority claimed they do, but their opinions on whether it's biological or societal differ.

Women believe the differences between men and women appear because of societal expectations. Men, on the other hand, say that these differences are biological.

The researchers asked the respondents about such things as physical abilities, how each gender expresses their feelings, and hobbies and personal interests. Interestingly, both men and women agreed that both genders are basically the same when it comes to work-related skills.

Is there a way to find out which is really true? Are the differences between men and women biological or is it actually nurture, not nature? It's a difficult topic to approach as an academic. Bias can even exist in research. There is no consensus on the issue even at this time. Some researchers believe that people are born being more masculine or feminine. English clinical psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen is in that camp with his E-S theory. 

Others, like philosopher Judith Butler, assert that gender is performative. According to her, we establish gender identity through behavior, so different behaviors can construct different genders. Not-so-academic and more easily digestible proponents like British science journalist Angela Saini invoke science. 

She's the author of Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong – And the New Research that’s Rewriting the Story, and says that we shouldn't have equality because science says it's possible. "There's no reason why we can't have equality if we want it," she told Slate. "Science doesn't say that equality is impossible. We are adaptable and plastic as a human species. We can have society any way we want."