On the same topic, is this NYT piece: http://www.gargaro.com/pinker.html. It, too, talks about women killing their babies, describing it as the “ultimate violation of the natural order.” Pretty violent, too.

Tim adds: That women kill children more often than men really doesn’t surprise me. Shouldn’t really surprise anyone I guess, given that women do (whether we think it right or not) carry the burden of childcare. Think of it this way: if there’s chance per hour of a carer killing a child (a very low one of course) then that sex which does more hours of childcare will have a higher incidence of child killing.

So this woman watches no television that airs commercials, turns the radio station whenever she hears a jingle, clicks the “x” for any pop-up box in sight, and keeps an unlisted number…

It makes for a nicer life.

Tim adds: But, but, how do you find out about the amazing new products then? The, umm, juice that’s never been within 500 miles of an orchard? With enough chemicals in it to have the children climbing the walls? The breakfast cereals with enough caffiene and sugar in them to do the same?

What would life be like without being informed of these essentials? Scary thought!

On a similar note, this article, “Primetime Live Sex Survey Has Interesting Findings About Senior Citizens,” http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Sex/4-10-22SexSurvey.htm, tells a few interesting things about older people and sex. While 71% of 18-29 year olds say premarital sex is okay, only 30% of 65+ say so. But at the same time, of the 18-29 surveyed, 8% admitted to having cheated; of those 65+, 21% have (now, either that 21% is having un-married sex or is practicing polygamy).

Tim adds: Umm, yes, but those 65 and over have had rather more years to cheat in, haven’t they?

But this story taps into a source of irritation for me. So many women in (live-in) relationships do most of the shopping, most of the housework, most of the childcare, AND bring home their half or near-half of the income. This BBC article, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6382429.stm, talks about this. When living alone, says the article, “if you haven’t cleaned the bath, then the chance of someone else unexpectedly doing so is close to nil. But if you assume that moving in with a loved one will improve this, then think again - especially if you are female.” The article shows that single women do less housework than those living with a guy. And, surprise, surprise, “the men, on the other hand, see the hours they commit to housework decline once they begin living as a couple.”

The difference for women = 5 hours more housework a week (from 10 hours to 15 hours)! For employed women!

(I emailed this story to a certain guy who is presently snoring next to me.)

It has been shown that fat men are more faithful than normal-weight men, http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1356312.html. This study of 1000 German men said that fat men were less likely to cheat, visit brothels, or call sex hotlines. But actually, it is not because of a lack of opportunity, said the study, but because fat men have less desire for risky sex than other men.

Tim adds: That is what he’s saying, yes. And there’s a certain truth to it. The better looking you are (for either sex) the more opportunity there is for having sex with someone else. Thus, the worse looking you are, the more likely you are to be faithful. Not because you so much desire to be but the opportunities not to be are few and far between.

Tim adds: Very loudly and non stop. Don’t really know why it means that, but it does.