Something About Women
Feminism emboldens self-deceptive disloyalty
Normally, I write about history, politics, law, philosophy, and theology. But occasionally, I feel the need to discuss social psychology and personality. Here is my limited contribution to the abundance of literature on the topic of men and women.
Few topics generate as much heat as discussions surrounding sex and gender differences. We must ground our understanding in the bedrock of divine design coupled with rigorous empirical observation. The Christian worldview begins with the fundamental truth revealed in Genesis: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." This divine proclamation establishes not merely biological distinction, but purposeful differences. “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).” Scientific research examining sex reveals the intricate wisdom embedded in God's design.
I believe that the most important traits in a women are honesty and faithfulness. For men the cardinal virtues of justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude rise higher on the scale. Of course all humans should honor God and have the fruit of the spirit (see: Galatians 5:22-23).
To talk about women, we must address distinctions between men and women. The research on cognitive differences between males and females reveals patterns that are both consistent and significant.1 Studies consistently demonstrate that males typically excel in spatial reasoning tasks, showing superior performance in mental rotation, navigation, and three-dimensional visualization. This advantage manifests early in development and persists across cultures, suggesting a biological foundation that transcends social conditioning.
Conversely, females demonstrate superior performance in verbal fluency, episodic memory, and tasks requiring fine motor coordination. These differences are not merely statistical artifacts but reflect genuine variations in how male and female brains process information. Neuroimaging studies reveal structural differences in brain regions associated with these cognitive domains, with males showing greater development in areas linked to spatial processing and females demonstrating enhanced connectivity in regions associated with language and memory.
God has equipped men and women with different strengths that, when combined in a marriage and family, create a more complete picture of human intellectual capacity.
Perhaps nowhere are sex differences more pronounced than in health and disease susceptibility.2 Women face significantly higher risks for osteoporosis, with the dramatic decline in estrogen following menopause creating vulnerability to bone density loss. Autoimmune diseases also disproportionately affect women, with conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis occurring at rates two to ten times higher in females than males. Men, however, face their unique vulnerabilities. Cardiovascular disease strikes men earlier and more aggressively, with testosterone potentially contributing to increased risk factors. Men also exhibit higher rates of certain cancers and show greater susceptibility to infectious diseases throughout much of their lifespan.
Wisdom demands that we structure our institutions to account for these differences rather than pretending they don't exist. Feminism says women must be celebrated in every area and rewarded no matter the results. This denies that women contribute to failures, make mistakes, and intentionally do harm.
The research on emotional expression reveals fascinating patterns that challenge contemporary assumptions about gender roles.3 Studies indicate that women tend to express emotions like fear, happiness, sadness, and embarrassment more frequently and intensely than men, while men show a greater propensity for expressing anger and lust. These differences appear early in development and persist across cultures. Brain imaging studies reveal that women show greater activation in areas associated with emotional processing and empathy, while men demonstrate physical engagement patterns of neural activation when processing emotional stimuli.
The female tendency toward emotional expressiveness and empathy provides crucial social bonding and nurturing capabilities, while the male tendency toward emotional regulation and controlled aggression serves protective and leadership functions. The relationship between biological differences and social roles represents one of the most complex areas of research.4 On a base level, women give birth, are infused with hormones and thus have the capacity to love intimately in a way that men do not.
While societal expectations undoubtedly influence behavior, the consistency of certain patterns across cultures and throughout history suggests that biological factors play a significant role in shaping social arrangements.5 Research demonstrates that even in the most egalitarian societies, men and women continue to make different choices regarding career paths, with women showing a greater preference for people-oriented professions and men gravitating toward thing-oriented fields. These preferences appear to strengthen rather than weaken as societies become more economically developed and gender-neutral, suggesting that biological influences become more pronounced when environmental constraints are removed.
Take all of these differences and package them together. Then, we can break down these differences in terms of sin, which corrupts our very nature. Men and women respond differently to the flesh, which is at war with the spirit (Galatians 5:17). Our society has rejected the idea that women sin in their own unique ways, but emphasize the ways that men regularly sin to the point of acussing all men of every sin. Women have a unique capacity for self-deception, which often stems from their greater gullibility compared to men. Men are more often liars. Women are more often lied to. “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner (1 Timothy 2:14).” And then women lie to themselves about why they trust men and the problems with other women.
This also manifests in disloyalty and unfaithfulness. God warns men that temptresses will seduce them, “For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword (Proverbs 5:3-4).” A lack of fidelity is not inherent in women, but it tends to impact their lives to a greater degree than cowardice and guile affect men’s ability to advance and succeed. This image scales to the national level. Israel was unfaithful, “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers— would you now return to me?” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 3:1).” God describes adulterous women as analogous to betrayal and idolatry. “Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed (Jeremiah 3:3).” Men act like evil women when they worship false gods and are promiscuous.
Men demonstrate a lack of integrity when they cheat, “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself (Proverbs 6:32).” Therefore we judge the character of other men and women based on their fidelity. Men require both honor and nuance. This is because men deal in competitive spaces where strategic deception is necessary. Additionally, in business practice, leaders often do not know how trustworthy other people are and therefore must reserve the right to end relationships that turn sour.
Women seek to maintain relationships at all costs and therefore enable bad behavior with repeated forgiveness rather than accountability, discipline, and punishment. This is a result of the inherent skew toward justice in the male psyche, which, in contrast, is lacking in women. Men are more likely to seek justice rather than revenge.
We live in a sinful world. Slights, harm, and abuse create complicity or revolt. Both men and women can lapse into bitterness and vindictive cycles of hatred. For men, this can motivate action to exceed the strictures of offense. Or it can create murderous seething rage. For women, this tends to produce destructive spirals of character assassination, or passive-aggressive undermining of her rival or antagonist.
Kill Bill is a movie about a woman who seeks revenge like a man.
Gossip for women is like warfare for men. Both include deceptive tactics for fighting designed to bring the conflict to a conclusion and end the threat. In warfare, there is a revelation of the truth when confrontation becomes physical. But with rumors, women avoid directly attacking men in real life. In movies, women knock men out and throw them around. In reality, the preferred method of victory for bitter women is either legal consequences, relying on other men to enforce the law, or reputational destruction, relying on ethics, social taboos, and exclusion by other people.
For Christian leaders in Western civilization, these godly truths and scientific findings carry profound implications. First, they affirm the biblical model and support the wisdom of traditional gender roles while recognizing the full dignity and worth of both men and women.6 Second, they challenge us to create institutions that honor these differences rather than ignoring them. Third, they call us to resist the contemporary pressure to view gender differences as socially constructed obstacles to overcome. Finally, they allow us to address the temptations that threaten us and then protect ourselves from sin.
Scripture demonstrates that men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. This is confirmed through scientific observation and accordingly requires us to lay the foundation for society based on biblical truth. The future of Western civilization depends on Christian leaders who recognize that true wisdom emerges when men and women serve and glorify God according to the way that God has designed us.
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