Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» Are women more interested in solving problems than men so they will seek compromises when men won't? If true why?
Please read Just Asking's reply Addb! It is very comprehensive and addresses the issue head on. Here are my thoughts. If Brand A and Brand B see things oppositely but have to come to some resolution isn't compromise the only solution? Thank you for your reply sweetie! :)
Men are very good at organizing themselves to accomplish particular tasks. They just do it and someone takes charge and they all get together to get it done. Women in that similar situation tend to fight about who is going to take charge or be the leader or the spokesperson so what usually happens is two of us end up doing everything while the others are pissed off so don't do anything.
There's actually an interesting study on perception of men vs women in leadership roles: https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/01/14/women-and-leadership/
In short, people believe women are better at creating compromise and men are better at negotiating.
There is some evidence to suggest this is true; that women are geared more toward being cooperative. i.e. When a woman makes a decision and she's choosing between two options, she'll usually go for the middle- something that gives her a but of both things she wants. If that happens to be a car and she wants something that's safe and gets good mileage, she'll pick a car that offers both, even if it's not top-of-the-line in either area. A man will likely choose either a car with top-notch fuel economy or the safest one. The differences in decision-making are even more remarkable when multiple people of the same gender are involved. Two men will go to the far end of the spectrum, two women will gravitate toward the middle.
I don't necessarily think it's that we are more interested in solving the problem. It's just that we approach problems differently. I have read that women's tendencies may likely come from the fact that we're raised to be social creatures. Historically, women have been the ones managing the social calendars of the household, sitting on PTO boards, etc., and it's largely because women have historically needed a "tribe" of sorts. It's incredibly difficult to raise children totally alone and women have historically been the primary (and even sole) caregivers. Ergo, compromise and community-minded behavior is absolutely essential. Men have historically had the roles of providers. It has been their job to go out and get things done. Cooperation, particularly when resources are scarce, will not help. Ergo, the man must find a way to get whatever it is he feels he needs.
In modern times, we don't necessarily follow the same rules. No more are women sole caregivers. No more are men sole providers. Yet, certain behaviors are ingrained in us, either by evolution or societal conditioning. So, it's absolutely not that one party wants solutions more. It's purely that we solve problems in different manners... generally speaking, of course.
Wow JA you just blew me away! Thank you for a very informative, thoughtful, comprehensive and significant reply. I don't see how problems can be solved between opposing views without compromise. The "my way or the highway" position sucks big time in my opinion. Thanks for investing so much time in giving such a very good answer. You rarely answer any of my questions but when you do it is always PURE GOLD! At least 24 karat. If there's a better grade of gold than that m'dear you're it! Happy Friday! :)
That's kinda what I said.. only you said it more eloquently and in more depth.. I am trying to avoid depth these days.. and trying to say things succinctly.. you reminded me of how I used to be :)
No not at all. Men are much better at problem solving because that is how they measure their worth. In general we would rather just accept something rather than solve it because we use such things to work things through for ourselves rather than to seek a solution.
Adaydreambeliever 