The media and the academy may be blurring the differences between men and women, but most Americans aren’t buying it, according to a Pew poll.
The Pew Research Center released a report July 24 showing that adults still use traditional words to describe the two genders.
“Protective,” “provider,” “father” and “honorable” were the positive words used most often to describe men, while “multitasking,” “brain,” “beautiful” and “maternal” were the positive words used most often to describe women.
“People said traits related to strength and ambition are especially valued for men in society and that compassion, kindness and responsibility are particularly valued for women,’ Pew added.
The report was based on data Pew released in 2017 that also found that most adults see key differences between the genders. In that data:
- 84 percent of men and 89 percent of women said the genders express their feelings differently.
- 69 percent of men and 67 percent of women said the genders are basically different in their hobbies and personal interests.
- 76 percent of men and 75 percent of women said the genders are different in their physical abilities.
The reports were based on surveys of 4,573 people conducted Aug. 8-21 and Sept. 14-28 of 2017.
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com
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