Letters From Grandpa #308

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA

• 308

Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter will deal with the many differences between men and women. You know the story. God made Adam and then: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper suitable for him’” (Gen. 2:18). So God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and while he slept, He took a rib out of his side and closed up the place with flesh. Then God made a woman out of that rib and brought her to the man. Then Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:23,24). Eve was extra special for she was to be the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20).

In order for Eve to be a suitable helper, God made her different from Adam. Many differences are obvious. For example, they had different genitalia. When a baby is born this is easy way to tell whether it is a boy or a girl. As boys and girls mature their bodies also assume different shapes. It is therefore easy to tell a man from a woman simply by looking at their silhouettes. Adam had hair on his chest and Eve had breasts on hers, Etc. The following differences between men and women have been adapted from the book What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women by Dr. James Dobson.

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The woman has greater constitutional vitality than man. In the U.S. she usually outlives a man by 3 – 4 years.

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Men have a higher incidence of death from almost every disease except benign tumors, disorders in female reproductive systems, and breast cancer.

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Men have a higher rate of basal metabolism than women.

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Their skeletal structures are different. Women have a shorter head broader face, less protruding chin, shorter legs, and longer trunk. The first finger of a woman is usually longer than the third, while in men the reverse is true. Boy’s teeth last longer than do girls.

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Women have a larger stomach, kidneys, liver, and appendix, and smaller lungs than men.

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Women have three very important physiological functions totally absent in men, viz. menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation. Each of these mechanisms influences behavior and feelings significantly. Female hormonal patterns are more complex and varied. The glands work differently in the two sexes. For example, a woman's thyroid is larger and more active; it enlarges during menstruation and pregnancy, which makes her more prone to goiter, provides resistance to cold, and is associated with her smooth skin, relatively hairless body, and the thin layer of subcutaneous fat that are important elements in the concept of personal beauty. Women are also more responsive emotionally, laughing and crying more readily than men.

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Women's hearts beat more rapidly than those of men (80 versus 72 beats per minute). Their blood pressure (ten points lower than men) varies more from minute to minute, and they have much less tendency to high blood pressure, at least until after menopause.

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A woman’s blood contains more water and 20% fewer red cells. Since these supply oxygen to the body she tires more easily and is more prone to faint. When the working day in British factories increased from 10 to 12 hours during W.W. II, accidents among women increased 150% but not at all in men.

• In brute strength a man is 50% stronger than a woman and he has 30% more lung capacity.

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Women can withstand high temperatures better than men because their metabolism slows down less.

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Men and women differ in every cell of their bodies because they carry a differing chromosomal pattern. The implications of those genetic components range from obvious to extremely subtle. For example, when researchers visited high school and college campuses to study behavior of the sexes, they observed that males and females even transported their books in different ways. The young men tended to carry them at their sides with their arms looped over the top. Women and girls, by contrast, usually cradled their books at their breasts, in much the same way they would a baby.

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Dr. Katherina Dalton is quoted in her book The Premenstrual Syndrome to show that a large portion of women’s crimes were clustered around her premenstrual periods (63% in an English study and 84% in a French). During premenstrual tension a woman experiences a decline in visual acuity, response speed, and also a demonstrated decline in intelligence test scores and school work. One study indicates that 40–60% of women who commit suicide were menstruating while only 18% of adult women are menstruating at any given time.

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Not mentioned by Dobson is the Aug. 9, 2016 issue of bravetheworld. It lists 50 real differences between men and women. They began by pointing out that men and women see differently because the retina of a male’s eye is thicker and has more M cells than does a woman. Further, their M cells are larger and thus enable a man to be better at tracking moving objects.

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Hopefully listing these many differences will create clarity and not confusion. It is good and healthy to “identify” the way we were born. God is the Potter and we are the clay. Consequently we have no right to shake our fist at God and say “Why did you make me like this?” (Rom. 9:20). Instead we should gladly accept who we are and actually celebrate the glorious difference between men and women. This is not only key to our own sanity but is also foundational to marital happiness!

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce