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thomblake comments on My Way - Less Wrong
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You say that it's worth talking about sex-based gender differences because they exist, but I'm not sure I buy it. Is sex more of a determinant than other factors in personality? Should I expect that my ideas are "male" more than that they are "brown-haired" or "grew up watching thundercats" or "ate too much peanut butter today"?
I remain skeptical that there's a good reason to make a big deal out of gender.
ETA: was this downvoted to oblivion because you think these questions aren't relevant, or because you disagree with my conclusion?
I've never been certain what people actually meant by 'male' and 'female', beyond the obvious physiological differences.
There are certain associations with 'outgoing' and 'introverted', 'dominant' and 'submissive', certain roles (women do regenerative work, men do profitable work), and certain specific behavioral tendencies (boys tend to play at group conflict, girls tend to play at social interaction), but the vast majority of cultural associations seem to be fairly arbitrary.
Beyond the associations is the idea that there are two categories, and it's very important that things be known to belong to one or the other. That's the part I cannot empathize with.
Read Male, Female by David Geary and Gender, Nature, and Nurture by Richard Lippa.