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Monday, March 10, 2008 12:00 AM

The sexual politics of household chores

One writer reenacts a day in the life of a 1950s housewife. Meanwhile, will doing the dishes get men laid?

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  • Monday, March 10, 2008 07:01 PM

    @ Dick

    You have evidence of differences in preference, in behavior, etc.

    You say it's because it's innately biological. You don't really have any evidence to back that specific assertion up -- the mere existence of differences does not automatically mean that those differences are innate or biologically-based.

    I say the differences are mostly learned. I don't have much evidence to support that assertion (any more than you have for your assertion) except the great weight of human history: so many differences have been claimed to be inherent, biological, etc., and yet have turned out to be purely cultural or learned.

    Thus, I am inclined to express extreme skepticism to further claims of innate differences. And don't think that our current culture is somehow above or beyond its historical context and biases, the same kind that we can clearly see in past cultures or other contemporaneous cultures. Laurence Tribe used to say "it takes a very sophisticated fish to know it's wet." It takes a very sophisticated observer to know his/her own deepest biases.

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