Verywellmind - Despite Culturally Ingrained Stereotypes, Women Are Not More Emotional Than Men

We're regularly told that women are simply more "emotional" and "sensitive" while men are viewed as stoic and level headed. However, that is false and the idea is rooted in patriarchy deeming emotions as feminine and therefore, inferior and weak. Anger and aggressive outbursts are simply overlooked remaining unacknowledged as an emotion. Our social norms dictate expression of emotions to be acceptable for women as long as the expression doesn't include anger or cross a certain intensity, while constantly being labeled as irrational. As for men, they aren't allowed to express any emotion other than anger without receiving some form of backlash. The source article from Verywellmind reveals a study discrediting this toxic belief. “A recent study from Scientific Reports looks at sex and ovarian hormones' influences on volatility, emotional inertia, and cyclicity. For 75 days, the team followed 142 men and women to observe their regular emotions. One group of the women were naturally cycling, while the other three groups of women took oral contraceptives.

At the study’s end, researchers found that male participants’ emotions fluctuated as much as women's did. In addition, women taking oral contraceptives didn’t have significantly different changes in their emotional range than the women naturally cycling.1”(Verywellmind, 2021)

Not only are men and women equal parts emotional, men experience similar emotional fluctuations are women. Additionally, women's menstrual cycle don't normally cause extreme fluctuations as they are believed to. The belief that they do had led to women being completely excluded from research/studies for ages. "Due to these supposed preconceived ideas that reasons such as hormones heighten women’s emotions, they have often been left out of research in the past. This study demonstrates that there was no justification for doing so; a result that may lead to more inclusive studies in the future." (Verywellmind,2021).

Even beyond that, there are more negative impacts of such ideas for men and women both. "The notion that certain people are more emotional than others causes serious harm to everybody. “No person truly fits in these boxes. All people have emotion and need connection," says Liz Coleclough, PhD, LICSW, a social worker specializing in trauma therapy. “They may present, behave, or identify in a variety of ways outside of their stereotype assigned at birth. However, characteristics and behaviors that land beyond these gendered expectations can bring rejection, exclusion, even danger.”

When someone attempts to mold themselves into the appearance of fitting into one of these boxes, it limits their ability to grow and express themselves. According to Coleclough, this can cause women to have limited access to power and opportunities and men to stifle the healthy expression of their feelings and minimize deep connections."(Verywellmind, 2021).

Read source article here.

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