In March, Roger Devlin published a wonderful piece on of sex differences, that should serve as a lynchpin for authentically traditionalist perspectives.

Key points made by Devlin include:

The Adaptive Reasons for Refusing Female Combatants:

Devlin starts by elucudiating the most important difference between men and women–their contrasting biological value. In Devlin’s words, “the female produces about four hundred eggs over the course of a lifetime, while the male produces around “twelve million sperm per hour.” So while men and women are both required for genetic continuation, women have greater “marginal value” than men. This is because a society of a “thousand men and one woman would be doomed”; whereas a society with “one man and a thousand women” could survive.

It thereby follows that even if some universe existed in which men and women were equal militiary combatants, it would be genetically irrational for any society to employ women in combat, for “no legislative or police action by the state is capable of making eggs as common as sperm.”

How Sex Differences Emerge and Their Extent:

Devlin explains the fetal hormonalisation process that occurs when an embryo is 6 weeks old, which subjects male embryos to a “testosterone bath.” Contrastingly, female embryos remain unaffected. From the age of a 6 week old foetus onwards, fetal hormonalisation influences the later expression of male neural networks. The truth of this “testosterone bath” thus annihilates the Marxist notion that gender and sex are ‘social constructs’.

Male testosterone levels again skyrocket at puberty, which among other well-known physical differences cause men to become more self-assertive and confident; while women become less so.

Building upon his discussion of fetal hormonilisation, Devlin writes: “Adult men have a three-to-five-point advantage over women in average IQ.” Men tend to have “higher mathematical ability and much greater visuospatial ability;” yet women possess greater verbal capacity. In this respect the sex differences are truly complimentary. Further, they are reflected in long-standing male achievement across maths as well as sciences subjects, and female achievement across humanities subjects.

Because of their testosterone levels, males have greater connectivity within spheres of the brain; whilst women have greater connectivity between spheres of the brain. This adds credence to the popular perception of women as multi-taskers, and men being problem-solvers. In fact, the inferior parietal lobe required for tool use is 25 % larger in men.

Devlin also discusses the evolutionary impact of men and women playing traditional roles. For thousands of years, women were gathering and thus able to detect edible plants from poison. Contrastingly, men hunted wild animals which entailed substantive reasoning ability. Now, merely the fact that our ancestors did something doesn’t affect our current biological make-up. But children were seldom spawned by mothers who lacked sound gathering ability and fathers who lacked sound hunting ability, thus contributing to sex differences that exist today.

The Failure of Androgynous Parenting:

There is an elite media push for androgynous parenting; that is, the sexes should equally share in undertaking homemaking and childcare duties. Yet the culture is not proportionately shifting in this exalted direction. Moreover, married couples who do practice this feminist dream and have women acting as the primary breadwinner, experience higher rates of divorce.

In denoting this scarcely known truth, Devlin cites the findings of a self-professed feminist–Liz Galesse. Galesse observed what is held as a liberating, desirable arrangement for women: the wife enjoyed a more successful career than her husband, who stayed at home looking after their children. Upon closer examination, Galesse found the couple had ceased sexual relations, with the woman declaring “I absolutely refuse to have sex with that man.” By now, the woman had begun flirting with successful businessman, and her husband was retained merely to tend after her children.

But why is this empowerment so damaging for marriage, especially when modern women frequently lust after it? On this, Devlin is largely quiet.

However, it appears that because women are evolved to seek powerful men who will protect them from physical dangers, women are attracted to men with similar traits in modern times: expressed dominance in social, political and work environments. And when women attain more prestigious careers than their partners –whose power pales in comparison–the female desire for dominant males can set aside other considerations.

For the full piece, see here