Why are women not as strong as men?

[Simon Bridge]

I thought it was generally known and accepted that men are often obliged to help women with the more physically demanding aspects of daily life (e.g. moving furniture, carrying heavy loads, etc.) and industry (e.g. logging, construction), and hence that paleolithic women may also have had trouble doing certain things without male help.

You are mistaken - I know female lumberjacks and miners and they need no help from the men thank you. I personally am male and would have a lot of trouble in those jobs - I also tend to need help with furniture.

Many women live in modern NZ with no male support at all - when they need to shift stuff they do what the men do - ask their friends for help or use strategy. The "generally known and accepted" idea about men helping women out a lot is more cultural that biological.

If one demands that every statement, regardless of how controversial it may or may not be, be supported by scientific citations, then discussion of any sort (including this one) would become nearly impossible.

ON the same note, some statements cry out to be challenged - nobody is demanding that every statement in a discussion needs scientific backup - just the more out-there statements made in a discussion in a scientific forum.

Like I said - the statement under contention was that "most women are so weak that they cannot survive, without male help, in the wild" ... a statement like "some women are so weak..." would not have requires support. If the statement were made in Penthouse Forums, again, no problem. But the level of evidence is not going to need ot be as good as, say, for acceptance into a scientific journal.