communication

Several of the blogs I read regularly have been all about Sandra Day O'Conner's resignation today.

She was conservative, but a moderate one. Which got me to thinking about my own personal theory on men and women in positions of political power.

Conventional wisdom will tell you that men are natural problem solvers. Basic gender communication theory agrees - most men want to solve problems, not talk about them. (Incidentally, I tend to be that way sometimes, too... especially when my customers have problems and I'm trying to help them and they keep on talking). Conventional wisdom and gender communication theory also tell us that women seek comprimise - they want to please everyone. Conventional wisdom also portrays women as emotional rollercoasters. Some of them are. But I live with a man, and he has little emotional spats, too.

So forever in western (and other) cultures, men have been the preferred political leaders, because they're seen as "decision makers" and "problem solvers". I expect this stems from a time when the decisions were more military. It seems logical to me, however, that women would be preferred as political leaders, if not at least considered equal, in our society - a society that is close to a democracy (yeah, yeah, we're really more of a representative democratic republic, I know...). I want someone who can look at a situation and analize it independentally and seek the solution that works the best for the most people.