Misogyny and Sexism in the News

[Soon]

Bangladeshi sex workers take steroids to 'plump up' for clients

[Jess]

New book looks like a great view of misogyny involved in politics.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=129938556

[Heart]

Girls in Afghanistan, "passing" as boys, gain temporary freedom and status for their families.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/wo.../21gender.html

[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.

Originally Posted by June

Here is a good explanation I found via google-fu:
The father provides an X or Y chromosome; the mother always provides an X chromosome. Therefore, the sex of the child is determined by the chromosome of the individual sperm that fertilizes the egg.

Male offspring carry XY chromosomes; female offspring carry XX chromosomes.


Information from another contributor

the father deposits the semen containing sperms in the vagina of mother. ideally the X and the Y sperms are in same number (this is rarely the case).


the germ cell in father's testicle initially divides into 2 cells. one of which is Y sperm responsible for male child. second one is X sperm responsible for female child. These cells then each divide in 2 these 2 cells further divide in 2 each producing 4 of one kind. this process goes on and on to produce 50 millions to 150 millions sperms in the semen. Half of them are Y sperms and Other half are X sperms.


If the X sperm unite with female egg then a female child is born.


If Y sperm unite with female egg then a male child is produced.


As same number of Y and X sperms are deposited in the vagina; which type of sperm ultimately will unite with female egg depends on the conditions of female reproductive system. Whether the condition is favorable for the rapid and safe movement of X sperms or the Y sperms.


The Y sperms are very delicate and are easily get destroyed by acidic and toxic environment of vagina. Thus if the vagina is very acidic most of the Y sperms are destroyed the rest may get immobile and not fit to swim in the cervical canal.


The X sperms are stronger and can withstand the acidity and toxicity better.


Thus if the medium of the reproductive organ mainly vagina, cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes is not favorable then the Y sperms get destroyed or immobile and the surviving X sperms swim in to unite with X egg of the woman to produce female child. This is why failure of family planning method like condom, spermicides, jelly, or withdrawal mostly results in female child. Similarly women having vaginitis, cervicitis, leucorhea, candida infection, cervical erosion almost always produce female children.

[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?

[Corkey]

http://womensrights.change.org/blog/...ving_sex?me=nl

[Glenn]

KFC pays college girls $500.00 to wear the words "Double Down" on their rear ends. www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/22