After writing the Ten Most Fundamental Differences Between Men and Women, Part One, I’ve decided to continue the theme with a series of male/female differences simply titled “Men vs. Women.” The fact that “Ten Most Fundamental…” got 2000 shares didn’t affect my interest in continuing the topic whatsoever. I’m doing this for the greater good of mankind. Oops, was that politically incorrect? Personkind? Humankind?
Given that I’ve written 25 columns for 12Most.com, you’d think I’d choose a list of 12 or even the more common 10. But, no, I’ve chosen to break from the norm and be an innovator with these lists–in this ongoing series of which this is the first–as men tend to be innovators so much more than women! Consequently, the number will be completely arbitrary!
I am not interested in being politically correct AT ALL. I am interested in being truthful. And one truth that is not taught much in women’s studies departments at our colleges is that men and women are inherently different. Yes, this may come as a shock to your feminist professor buddies, but we are not only built differently, we tend to do, think, and act differently as well.
That said, there are exceptions to every generality and stereotype. I am declaring here and now that I am making both generalities and stereotypes, but I assert that they are true the majority of the time. Simple truths about men and women include that most men are taller than women, most women live longer than men, most men have more hair on their bodies, most women have menstrual cycles, men gain weight in the belly predominantly, while women gain weight in their rear-ends and thighs, predominantly. Am I right or what?
So, when it comes to money, there’s little doubt that men and women approach it with different ideas, attitudes, and methods. Herewith just three differences that I’ve chosen for this topic, though I may have to follow this list up with another one, since money is such a great, touchy and universal conflict issue between men and women!
This list is in no order of importance, and I hope contains things you may not have thought of before:
1. Men think gifts get different points based on their cost
What the heck does that mean? It’s simple. A guy gives a gal a bouquet of flowers and he expects it’s worth, say, 1 point. He gets her a cool $500 designer bag (Okay, I’ve just exposed another difference…as you women readers know all too well. There’s no cool designer bag that costs even close to JUST $500) and it’s worth, perhaps, 5 points. If he has really screwed up and gets a costly piece of jewelry, it’s worth at least 10 points in his eyes.
And we guys think that those points mean we’re off the hook for a while based on the number of points we’ve “earned.” What we don’t realize is that our women value each of our gifts exactly the same: ONE point. So, while we think the callous remark we made or the backward look at the hot girl over there should be forgiven due to the point system, we are wrong. If we’re lucky, those points last the rest of the day. So, my advice is to always give a gift in the morning.
2. Women think they can add, subtract and balance their checkbooks
Okay, I’m stepping into it now. This sort of fits into the-guy-thinks-he-knows-directions better than women category. Women have a hard time figuring out tips, balancing their checkbook, and doing basic math. It sort of relates to the point system outlined in #1 on this list. Women’s minds react very strongly to certain things like, for instance, my wife saying she got a great deal on a pair of shoes.
I foolishly ask, “That’s great honey, how much did they cost?” to which I get a reply like, “$365.” I look astonished and compound my ignorance by expressing, “That’s a deal?” to which I get the disdainful response that they would’ve cost $1,475 if she’d bought them at Bloomingdale’s along with a huge, “Harrumph.”
Now, to be fair, this idea of “value” really works both ways. We men do believe that a big-screen TV is worth every bit of its $4,000 cost while the same amount spent on the afore-mentioned designer handbag makes absolutely no sense to us.
3. Making buying decisions based on looks rather than what's inside
This one is the best irony of them all. Women will buy A CAR based on its looks and/or color while men will actually care about its performance and what’s inside! Women will buy clothes just for the label. Men could care less. The list of these sorts of buying differences is endless.
But, the great irony of this male/female difference is that where it really counts, men are slugs. When choosing a partner, men will base their decision largely based on looks, at least initially. And we all know men who married women exclusively for their looks or youth. Women are much smarter in this regard and marry men for their money! Ha ha.
What differences do you want to add? Where do you agree or disagree with my gender thinking?
*This is an opinion piece and the views expressed within don't necessarily reflect the views of Patch or its editors.
About this column: Bruce Sallan is an Agoura Hills stay-at-home dad who is raising two teenage boys. Bruce’s first book, A Dad’s Point-of-View: We ARE Half the Equation is available at Amazon and the store at BruceSallan.com: http://brucesallan.com/index.php/store. Bruce Sallan’s column, “A Dad’s Point-of-View,” is carried in over 100 newspapers and websites worldwide. Please listen to “The Bruce Sallan Show - A Dad’s Point-of-View,” his one-hour radio show, which is available anytime, via live stream, or to download for free on BruceSallan.com.
