Do women prefer strong men or weak men?

I will assume that most of you have not read Merlin Stone's book When God Was a Woman. I think it should be required reading in high school. I would love to talk about the major premise of this book with people who have read it.

“Men don’t have to be giant emotionless balls... ...of testosterone...” nor do women have to be giant emotional balls of estrogen. It’s just kinda how most of the world is. Nobody has to be anything, but if someone wants to, you (not necessarily YOU, just using the word) shouldn’t try to stop them for the sake of “equality.” Its unusual that you used the terms “meek and helpless.” I’m not sure anyone is perpetuating that stereotype anymore. Its not a common idea. Yes, men are physically stronger on average but I don’t think many go around touting that. Ill say this: the cards aren’t stacked against women anymore. There are plenty of societal encouragements for women to be strong and aggressive leaders and yet they don’t. If anything, a lack of religion should demonstrate that it’s not a religion based concept but maybe women don’t want to go into these male-dominated careers out of a lack of desire. Is “equality” so important that it has to be enforced? If people have a predisposition towards certain fields (which they do) then why make a big deal out of it? Not sure why I turned that into an employment comment but it did lol

The men have to be manly men I believe it’s because men of my generation had it beaten in to us. And it is still beaten into some of the younger generations. I still have problems crying in front of people I didn’t cry for 3 week while I was in West Virginia while my dad passed away and during his funeral. It wasn’t until I got back home in Florida my ex wife had gotten my son and I was alone in the house was I able to let my self greave and finally cry for my dad. And as far as atheist men being sexist just because you don’t believe in god doesn’t mean you’re not a asshole. Heck religion was invented to control people and mostly women. I believe it is in men’s DNA want to control their wife or girlfriend. Goes back to primitive time we want control of the weman around us to spread our seed. It takes enlightenment to get past that. That’s just my theory anyway. Based upon what I have observed in life.

It's called cultural indoctrination and it is faulty. Real men love real women who are strong and equal.

I definitely don’t find women who act like men attractive. I’m not attracted to male characteristics. I’m a straight man.

Idk but I'm full up on it today. Having one of those "I don't even want to look at a man much less talk to one" moments.

I think sexism/misogyny pre-dates religion, tho I believe religion, in most cases, exacerbated it. Unfortunately, atheism does not confer 'sainthood', or even common sense in other matters. It is not even directly linked to Humanism, tho most Humanists do seem to be atheists. Atheism is but one particular outlook, the disbelief in a god or gods. No other traits, positive or negative necessarily come along with that.

Atheism doesn't inoculate one against stupidity
.

Sorry, is that still a thing?

Is it sexism because many or most women still enjoy having their door opened and the heavy bag carried. I'm not going to try to answer that. I'm going to continue to enjoy doing that and striving to be their equal. Add in liberal doses of respect, sharing and caring and it's a wonderful world we all live in.

It exists everywhere, it's time this shit disappears from society!

There was a time when such thinking was true and it enabled us to survive. The problem is that condition existed for (throwing out a number for effect only) 99.999% of the total time we've been walking upright. What that means is the behavior is essentially hardwired and breaking the "habit" ain't easy.

From what I have seen during my lifetime, I would say that considerable progress has been made, but we have a long way yet to go. Religions (most of them) perpetuate this notion and most atheists I have known come to us from religious backgrounds. Lately, I'd say the percentages are changing and more atheists are here without the baggage. It may not arrive during your life, but it will come. I can't imagine anything occurring that will reverse the trend.

I would say it’s mostly cultural and has little to do sometimes with religion. A lot of music, movies, TV shows, books, plays and video games are guilty of reinforcing these notions of what it means to be a women or a man.

Social constructs?

Sexism is as old as the human race... Woman just don't understand the raging hormone that is testosterone. Need to conquer, hold and protect what is yours... Territorial etc....
There is a spectrum of these urges, based on social norms and expectations etc. But we can't have children! You don't want to kill and animal and eat it raw... Each with their own burdens, I guess.

I think you hit the nail right on the head with testosterone. Being in gyms for a large part of my life and reading on how the chemical changes the brain is interesting. It is absolutely the warrior hormone. The reason why removing religious perspective doesn't enhance a man's ability to see a woman as an equal is because they are not removing a misogynistic idea, they are just remove a misogynistic moral compass. Most men then gravitate towards an even more aggressive interpretation of life or survival like a Darwainian a "Survival of the fittest" which only perpetuates the problem. Consciousness isn't gender based. It's learned intently and most people just aren't conscientious. Regardless of gender.

Even though I was never really a believer, I realized as I got older that a lot of the cultural views I'd picked up were actually based on religion. I think societal ideals are insidious and we often don't consider their origin or validity. Of course, it would have been difficult for me to determine that so much was influenced by religion, if I hadn't studied some out of curiosity.i

Atheists are mostly deconverts from one of the Abrahamic faiths, which are patriarchal and sexist. And even the atheists that aren't deconverts, exist in a social milieu that is steeped in and dominated by those religious memes. There is no reason to expect that atheists are especially immune to those influences. Anyone in that environment has to push back and work to exise bad assumptions and attitudes from their thinking.

Exists where? In the forums?

In America?

Atheists are still members of society, potentially with all the flaws except one—religion.

This is the problem of broad, sweeping generalizations of any group of people.

And that’s why you cannot state Atheists are inherently better or different based on the single marker of simply being Atheist.

Atheists are a minority in all countries, punished by death in some.

How would you expect them to exert enough political power to do anything?

—even if so inclined.

And, atheists may well be racist, sexist, any other ‘ist’ you’d like.

Non/Belief in God is one nearly trivial marker in the collective of social constructs that create an individual.

Would atheists have a religious basis for discrimination? Probably not.

That doesn’t imply they don’t for other reasons.

Exaggerated power of dimorphism?

I would offer, if I may, that sometimes sexism exists because of the cultural norms that, while based on religious dogma, have and will remain present for a long time (because people as a whole don't see them as being related to religion).

Just my 2 cents

With the religious right holding considerable sway in the white house right now, religion is trying to mold society even more.

Is kind of curious myself. Sexism seem alive and well in other society as well. Religion might not be the reason, it just might tap sexism as a recruiting tool. You see sexism in science as well. Rosalind Franklin is probably one of the most famous cases.

I think religion is used to enhance sexism. I don't think religion created sexism.

And people are jerks. White people, black people, brown people, Republicans, Democrats, fans of the Cubs, fans of the Dodgers, Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Hindus, pagans and on and on.

People don't need much of an excuse to want to fall into an -ism.