by Rob Purifoy

Created on: November 26, 2008

The question of equality among men and women is easily answered if we use the raw definition of what equality means. To take a few definitions from Webster's one by one, equality is the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability. If we take that definition would we put most women in a football game and treat them to be equal in rank or ability? If a woman truly wanted to equal by that raw definition then she would want to be pummeled by 340 pound linemen.

The second option of definition is "uniform character". It's easy to see that men and women do not, and will not have uniform character, not by a long shot. Now I believe that most women wanted the right to vote, to have an equal pay rate or to have the same rights and options as men. But do they want what true equality means by definition? No.

Women cannot have us men be gentlemen or chivalrous yet still be equal, it has to be one way or the other and not only when it's convenient. Men like to be gentlemen but by definition that means the woman is thought of as the weaker sex. I wash my wife's car, fill the tank and make sure maintenance is done. This does not mean that she could not do those things, it just means those things are still deemed "guy things". Certainly there are female race car drivers who are not afraid of a wrench or a broken fingernail and they can be, and are as good as the guys. But I would think that the female driver still likes flowers now and again thus making her still a female above all. So the female racer may be as good but she may still appreciate a gentleman to a certain extent. I doubt she wants doors opened for her as I figure that's one of the things she'd rather do.

There are sub classes to all of this equality stuff in that there are what's called "guys girls". These girls likely grew up with brothers and don't have the expectations of chivalry or having a guy do something for them. These are the girls that like sports, wear ball caps, rarely seen in a dress and just all around the girl most guys like to be around. But psychologically I think both men and women in this scenario still believe that the girl is the more vulnerable, weaker sex.

Don't get me wrong, this is not to be chauvinistic on this potentially touchy subject for some. We all have our set of beliefs and the range of those beliefs span the spectrum. It's pretty clear in any regard that women want the same rights as men but that is not the same as the misused term of equality. Some hardcore purists could say that women are segregated because we have different bathrooms. That too would be a misuse of the term equality.

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