“So if women are Gods what does that make men?”

Was a question I was asked recently by a male associate of mine and it was a strangely exciting comment to hear because for the first time I was witnessing the impact of my thoughts and words on an actual human being.

My earlier post Women are Gods was strategically designed to ride the crest of the Mothers Day/ International Women’s Day wave and while I was praising mothers, in my defence I did actually say:

“This post is not an attempt to dismantle the worth of Fatherhood as one of my favourite things in life is being a Father and I love this role more than Leonardo Dicaprio loves his recently acquired Oscar…”

My motivation for recognising women in such a way was powered by objective facts looking at the biological, emotional and physical processes and demands a woman goes through compared to her testosterone fuelled counterpart.

So let’s deal with just a few features that are commonplace in pregnancy, as during the nine month developmental period there are changes to a woman’s respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal systems which bring on a whole host of potential effects that include increased blood pressure, weight gain, nausea, hormonal fluctuations and increased tiredness.

Q) What are the changes that happen to men during this nine month process?

A) None.

Even if we conveniently set aside an average labour takes anywhere between 8 – 15 hours, once that new born bundle of goodness makes it into this crazy reality; instinctively who do you think the new-born child looks to receive comfort and food from? So now a mother has to contend with being transformed into a 24/7 maternal convenience outlet providing fast food based on the consumption demands of their most valuable customer.

Q) What physical changes happen to men during this period?

A)None.

I don’t mean to insult anyone’s inteligencia; there is no information contained in this post that you can’t casually find wading through Google’s search results, but it’s naïve to assume that because I appreciate the illogically beautiful commitment women make to keep humanity in existence, I’m somehow blind to the value men provide. I’d have to be as insane as inmates of Arkham Asylum to only have an appreciation for people who specifically share my own set of physical characteristics…fortunately I am not the only one to feel this way…

It was a small Protestant village in the South of France that helped thousands of Jewish refugees escape Nazi persecution in the 1940’s. It was privileged, southern belle Juliette Hampton Morgan who experienced unimaginable harassment and death threats for her involvement in the Civil Rights movement. Member of Parliament Mr. George Lansbury resigned from his post in government to show support for the women’s Suffragettes movement.

You may say I’m a dreamer? But you’d be wrong because I don’t possess the same poetic sensibility as John Lennon but it does mean that as a human I see the worth of others of our species; even if they happen to have a different skin tone, age, political affiliation, accent, sexuality or gender.

Social trends have never bothered me much so the “rise of the single parent family” (the very same family structure I was nurtured and raised in) doesn’t sway my opinion of the importance of Fatherhood. I know first-hand how the lack of such a vital consistent role negatively impacts on the psychology and behaviours of children whether male or female.

I don’t have to be a woman to appreciate the immeasurable value they hold, and just because I do, that doesn’t mean my stock of self worth is of less value because I am a man.

Until next time.