[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Laerkin

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend reading "Woman: An Intimate Geography" by Natalie Angier. She's a biologist and examines the female body from genetics and hormones to cellular function in hysterical and engaging ways. I haven't laughed this hard during a book in a long while. But it's fascinatingly educational, too.

Did you know the X chromosome is large and healthy (carrying like 2,000 genes) while the Y chromosome is small, puny, fragile and only carries like 90 genes? The X chromosome, scientists are finding, is capable of tremendous things, far outside the scope of anything the Y chromosome is able to do.

Also, the egg is the only cell in the entire human experience that is capable of taking the DNA from any cell in the body and turning it into a multiplying zygote? Meaning, you can take a liver cell, isolate a few things, put it into an egg and voila - the egg turns on all of these light switches within the liver cell turning it into a full blown zygote and it begins to reproduce and form a new being (that's how cloning works - not advocating cloning here, just demonstrating the ultimate power of the egg!).

I think XYs have a lot to be worried about. Women are magical, powerful, genetically fantastic creatures capable of amazing things that they aren't even fully aware of.

But, I agree with you, June, that women suffer the consequences and are pushed into inferiority by some cultures for no reason other than fear. It's heartbreaking and infuriating all at once.

OK, ordering this book, pronto!

EGG POWER!!!

Ever thought of males in our society only being those that began as female (although, personally, I believe that many that transition were male anyway)? Reproduction via egg plus egg, only?

My main question would be- would this alter the patriarchal power structure at all in terms of societal norms and male/masculine being in control?

I sometimes think about this simply in terms of how women being the ones that carry our young and traditionally the main caretaker. But, this could take oin a very different role in an egg-only reproductice schema.

One of the reasons that I could never accept the more radical and separatist feminist ideologies has to do with how women that choose (did we really choose based upon social dictates?) to work within the home and be the main child rearing partner being viwed as less than men. Child rearing outside of being a "bread winner" has always been the "less than" factor. Even in the face of statistical facts demonstrating the high numbers of women working outside the home as sole bread winners and as equal bread winners!!

What I find terribly sad is how little respect we in the US have for child rearing. Gee, you think this has something to do with what has happened to our educational system?

Until work of the home and children is viewed and valued in the same ways that work outside the home is... women will continue to be second class citizens.

Would and Egg Power structure change this?