[MUD-Dev] The Price of Being Male

Paul Schwanz pschwanz at comcast.net
Mon Jun 30 11:14:49 CEST 2003


Castronova, Edward wrote:

> I've gotten a lot of mail from people saying, "Hey, men just like
> to be treated as men! That's not sexual discrimination." I agree
> with the premise 100 percent: the data show that men, in general
> and on average, would rather be treated as a man. True. Me
> too. When I played as a woman, I had slightly less fun than when I
> played as a man. But what I had to ask myself was: How can that
> not be evidence of systematically different treatment of women by
> men? And, if that is not sexual discrimination, what is?  I keep
> wondering, if the two avatars do the exact same things, why should
> anyone care what gender they are? Seems strange, unless being a
> man in a female role is not as fun (for the average male). The
> data confirm that: by their purchasing behavior, the men of EQ
> reveal that on average they would rather be a man in a man-suit
> than a man in a woman-suit.

Does not other data confirm even more strongly that: by their
selection of avatars at character creation, on average women would
rather be a woman in an woman-suit than a woman in a man-suit?
Isn't this even moreso the case for women than for men?

> I suppose everyone thinks its normal and OK that being a man in a
> woman-suit is something that the average man is uncomfortable
> with. I kind of think that's a problem.

If it is a problem for men, then it seems to me it is even more of a
problem for women.  Are women even more discriminatory than men on
average?

Personally, I don't see it as a problem either way and furthermore
cannot seem to make the connection to things like inequity of pay
based on gender, which I think *is* a problem.

--Phin
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