The Dominant Sex: A Study in the Sociology of Sex Differentiation

Are there "masculine" and "feminine" characteristics? The answer given in this book is, No. The authors assert, and cite chapter and verse to prove, that those physical, mental, moral or social traits, which we are wont to regard as "masculine" or "feminine" are simply those of the dominant sex; that those we call "feminine" are merely the characteristics of the subordinated sex. In various states at various times when woman was dominant she was possessed of most of the "manly"qualities and practiced the "masculine" customs. She wooed the man and supported him, she did hard physical work while he performed the household tasks and cared for the children, she was polyandrous while the man was monogamous, she was taller and stronger and in every way more influential than the man. The authors conclude that no civilization can reach its highest form of development under a monosexual government, and that the ideal government is one in which both sexes are absolutely equal.