Nel Question #9: Gender - Perfect Sense

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 127553


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cat_kind" <cat_kind at y...> 
wrote:
 
catkind:
> To some extent this has to do with biological differences; 

Geoff:
That is the way in which I mean it and I'm not intending any sexist 
subtext.

To take one example, my wife often comments on the fact that she 
finds that women tend to approach friendships in a different way to 
men. She has a small number of close friends with whom she will spend 
time regularly in socialising and just generally enjoying each 
other's company and remarks that it seems to her that men seem to 
operate on a more clubbable and chummy level. If you look at the 
books, you will find people like Parvati and Lavender huddled in deep 
conversations while Ron, Harry and Seamus et al will be discussing 
Quidditch tactics or ribbing each other or working out schemes to 
avoid doing homework.

I think my wife's comments appear to be true in that she will have 
quite deep discussions with other folk, often over problems. Many men 
of my acquaintance - including myself - find it hard to know who to 
talk to or to turn to in a real crisis or a real need for unburdening 
themselves.

Again, I probably work on the level of looking at facts to draw 
conclusions whereas several women I know possess great intuitive 
skills (which I envy). Nowhere have I suggested that any of these 
innate skills make one gender superior over the other.

I hope this clarifies the situation a bit more.

I know what my wife would say about the hole I might be digging for 
myself at this precise moment - "Why didn't you stay out of it and 
keep your head down?" :-))