Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site h-sc1.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!qantel!dual!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!seismo!harvard!h-sc1!desjardins From: desjardins@h-sc1.UUCP (marie desjardins) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: More women do it than men Message-ID: <425@h-sc1.UUCP> Date: Fri, 5-Jul-85 12:33:53 EDT Article-I.D.: h-sc1.425 Posted: Fri Jul 5 12:33:53 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 11-Jul-85 05:59:44 EDT References: <210@cuuxa.UUCP><462@unc.UUCP>, <1105@peora.UUCP> <956@hou2h.UUCP> <1196@peora.UUCP> Organization: Harvard Univ. Science Center Lines: 34 > [Uh-oh. Now it's "amateur psychologist". Well, anyway...] > > > I have read and heard one theory that women are more adept at recognizing > > a relationship is over than men. They therefore terminate it rather > > than let it drag on. > > Why might that be, though? I mean, in general if you state, "men are more > adept at X than women," you will immediately get attacked for the statement. > Well, I will sort of do that too, in this case... why would women be "more > adept" at this than men? I think in general women are expected to be more diplomatic than men. They are expected to be the peace-makers (this is purely a social phenomenon, I doubt it has anything to do with innate skills). An essential quality of diplomacy is the ability to second-guess others, and to read social situations, relationships, etc. That is, women are often more sensitive in these situations than men. > On the other hand, women would > tend to be exposed always to such attempts on the part of other men, who > do not perceive them as being so attached; and some of these may be suffic- > iently persistent as to generate some interest. But this in itself would, > I guess, lead to the sort of thing you mentioned; you are most likely to > perceive the shortcomings in an existing relationship when you are > periodically being presented with opportunities for new, "better" ones. I don't think this is true. If it were, women would be more likely to take these opportunities (that is, break up for another man); I believe, though, than a man are more likely to break up with one woman for another woman than a woman is (to break up with one man for another). [sorry, no references, but I seem to remember reading it; also, it has been true in my experience] marie