Brought to you not by Maxim magazine, but Iran:
Iran plans a female-only island to boost tourism in a northwest province, the Tehran-e Emrouz newspaper on Wednesday quoted a local official as saying.
It will be on the Urumiyeh lake in Western Azerbaijan province, a municipality official identified only as Aghai said.
I am betting that Iranian officials and I have radically different ideas about why a man-free island is so good, and why it would boost tourism.
Under Iran’s strict Islamic law, mixing with men in public is forbidden. Strict sex segregation actually protects women rather than restricting their rights, officials argue.
“There will be no men on the Arezou (Wish) island. Public transport, restaurants and other facilities will be staffed only by women,” Aghai said.
Yep. We sure do.
dreggas
The Isle of Lesbos.
There’s a place in Iran where the naked ladies tan…
John Norris Brown
I wonder if religious police will be stationed on the island ’round the clock? And will they also be women?
Perry Como
I once had a dream about an island full of Persian women. I doubt it was the same as this proposal.
Jake
Because we are all slavering fuck beasts who would schtup a paramecium if we could find the hole. Isn’t this rather insulting to Iranian men? If I was such a rampant pervert that I posed a danger to women IN PUBLIC, I’d do the honorable thing with a meat cleaver.
Whatever dudes. When you find your wives can’t wait to ditch your asses and go off to the Isle of Wish* just congratulate yourselves for striking a blow for women’s rights.
* Wish what?
I wish I did not have to return to the mainland and my husband who has a penis the size of a paper clip and all of the sexual ability of a sick dog?
I wish I had brought more batteries?
I wish they had web cams in all the rooms?
What!?
ThymeZone
Some men have to go there, to do the work of men.
Build and fix things.
Where is the website to sign up for that?
Heh.
dreggas
Uh…we aren’t? j/k
fixed.
I foresee a very profitable dockside stand for those going to the island.
The girls gone wild guys will be all over this…I can see the advertisement now: “Persian women, unburqaed and uncensored!”
Mike S
Wasn’t there a movie with this premice? I think I wore that tape out.
Gatchaman
One day a month that island is going to be Hell on Earth.
RSA
I guess we shouldn’t expect a Women [in Burkhas] Gone Wild video any time soon.
dreggas
O/T but looks like Gaffney is back at it
Mike S
One day a month?
That would be a blessing compared to 3-8 days a month like we married folk go through.
Richard 23
Yeah dreggas. My thoughts exactly.
I thought this place already existed and was called Lesbos, the birthplace of Sappho.
dreggas
No joke man. Heck I bet this will be a new monthly sport..send the women to the island and let the cat fights commence. The sick part is that there is an unwritten law that says two women within close proximity (ie living with each other) will get in sync with each other. Try having a wife and a female roommate, now imagine that on a scale of this, one large island, many women on retreat for lengthy periods of time….insanity.
Of course the boon here is to say “honey I was thinking, next week why don’t you go to the island”.
CaseyL
I note that, so far, only guys have responded to this post.
Does the staff of the “all women; women only” island get to live on the island themselves? If so, they probably would happily *never* come back to the ma(i)nland. Living in a culture built on violent sexual repression and misogyny is like inhaling fetid poison with every breath.
Perry Como
Heh.
dreggas
I agree whole heartedly and do not take my sarcasm and “man humor” as making light of just how bad it can be in other countries or here even with regards to violence against women, if it was my wife would beat me senseless. I just find this idea amusing and ironic to a degree.
Jake
I’ve been wondering if the people who came up with this brainstorm have thought of this or if they think women can’t bear to be away from men for extended periods of time. (And won’t it have to be just single women? They can’t have their families there.)
It would be fairly damn funny if they smuggled in a bunch of weapons, declared the island a separate nation and extended an invitation to any woman in Iran. There’d be a brief outburst of piracy as women commandered boats to get the fuck away from dudes who can’t keep it in their pants in public.
Do you think Bush would send troops to support this burgeoning beacon of freedom?
Zifnab
I totally smell a Reality TV Show in the making.
Survivor: Horny Edition
Ten beautiful women, one deserted island, two drink minimum. How long will they last until they make Girls Gone Wild look like the All Baptist Network?
chopper
(thumps chest)
THIS..IS..A..HOMEBOY!!
CaseyL
dreggas, rest assured I see the irony and the humor. (I had to laugh at the menstruation jokes, since it’s perfectly true that multiple women living in close quarters start to synch up their cycles.)
DougJ
I see another Tom Hanks-Peter Scolari sitcom in the works here.
dreggas
I believe the term for that is “pay-back”.
dreggas
As long as it is not some persian remake of exit to eden. That movie was the worst caricature of my lifestyle I have ever seen not to mention the fact it had Rosey O’Donnell in leather.
Punchy
Puts a whole new meaning in the phrase “Persian Rugs”…
Krista
Indeed. We poor helpless dames have no idea what end of a drill to hold without you big strong men around to show us what’s what. ;)
As far as vacationing on an all-woman’s island goes, I can see advantages and drawbacks. One one hand, no gut-suckage or nether-region waxing would be required. On the other hand, having lived in an all-girls’ dorm for a year, I can attest that men and women do tend to keep each other relatively civilized.
scarshapedstar
“Man-Free Island 7” was way better than 6.
carpeicthus
I can’t wait until they make a super-powered woman out of clay.
Rome Again
I never thought I’d see the day I could count you among sexist pigs. “Hmmmmmph!”
demimondian
Look, you Canuckistani women may have been forced to debase yourselves into brush cutting Amazons, but the civilized world knows the limits beyond which your delicate physiques should not be pushed.
ThymeZone
Try not to get so defensive, gals.
Fact is, if you call for a plumber or a mason or a carpenter, you are usually going to get a man, not because women can’t do the work, but because …. they don’t do it. They don’t go for those jobs, don’t get that training, don’t pick up the tools, don’t apply for the positions.
Why that is, couldn’t tell ya. But that’s the way it is. Men build and fix things, mostly, because they go for those things. There are exceptions but they are the exceptions that prove the rule.
Rome Again
Usually, yes, but not always. The fact is SOME women do do these jobs, so you can’t say “they don’t do it”.
ThymeZone
Well, you’re right, but what I meant was, generally, and in comparison to the number of men, they don’t do those jobs.
Obviously they can do the jobs. So why they don’t, couldn’t say. Not my area of expertise.
Perhaps the women can explain.
I like to watch building construction. It is amazing how few women are involved in those trades. Steelworkers? I have never seen a woman doing it. Maybe some do, but it can’t be many.
Rome Again
Well I myself have gotten on top of a roof and nailed shingles, so I don’t want to hear it.
ThymeZone
I think that makes you the exception that proves the rule, though.
Rome Again
I am always the exception that proves the rule, hence my anecdotal history here ROTFLMFAO!
Sad, but true.
ThymeZone
So, why do women hold so few jobs in, say, construction trades?
In some trades, nearly zero?
Rome Again
Because men hate having women at work on construction sites? Because women are discouraged from learning such trades to begin with?
I’m not even a feminist and I understand this, go figure!
ThymeZone
Okay, well I don’t have any good information on this, so I can’t really argue your points. But if I were on a construction site, having women there would not bother me.
I work in a geeky place and women are getting more and more jobs there, and the men aren’t complaining.
I’ve worked with women in my field who are the best of the best. I learned a lot from one of them.
Bruce Moomaw
They better hope Wonder Woman never shows up there.
Rome Again
Big difference between an office and a construction site, TZ
jake
Clearly you aren’t aware of the famous math formula: W + Pt = VNM. (Women + Power tools = Very Nervous Men.)
demimondian
Indeed.
Look, my training is in the most misogynistic of the sciences (No, it *isn’t* comp sci.) Nevertheless, the kind of anti-woman bigotry that I’ve encountered when working with construction types appalls me. When FDDD and I were doing the renovations on the demi-bunker last summer, there were times when the contractors would listen to me and not to her, even though she was the on-site representative of the customer…you know, the person who wrote the checks?
demimondian
That’s only true in the special case where N = T (“Nervous” is the same as “Threatened”).
Rome Again
Personally I think it’s because the men will feel guilty about having their soft-porn jacked-up race cars with leggy blond model magazine centerfold pics in the bathroom questioned.
Rome Again
Oh God, demi, I remember just trying to buy a car where the salesman refused to talk to me, kept insisting I return with my husband before he would give me any real acknowledgment.
ThymeZone
Oh dear. They know about our bathrooms.
Hey, it’s about the cars, I tell you. The cars.
Rome Again
So then you wouldn’t mind if I Scripto a dress on the model then?
ThymeZone
As long as you don’t deface the Shelby GT.
Ahem.
Rome Again
No, I merely mean to draw over the natural contours of the model, won’t touch the Shelby at all, I promise.
Rome Again
Well, unless she’s straddling the car, I mean… then, I’m sorry but I gotta do some damage to your dream car. Sorry!
::looking at my vast collection of Scriptos:: “Aha!”
ThymeZone
I’m one of those odd people who reads car mags to look at the cars.
I swear.
Rome Again
What do you pin up in your workshop in your garage?
ThymeZone
Car pix. Fords, mostly.
Airplanes.
I’m very dull.
Sirkowski
Pretty strong lesbian lobby in Iran it seems. Probably the equivalent of the Republican Pink Mafia.
Rome Again
Not a single woman in the pics? WOW, TZ, I’m impressed!
ThymeZone
I told you, I’m just dull. Cars, airplanes, no girls.
Rome Again
Not dull IMO, very impressive.
ThymeZone
Yeah, they swoon at my 1953 Ford sedan.
Oh, baby!
Rome Again
Where’s the Shelby?
ThymeZone
You mean, my painting? Heh. Actually at the moment I don’t know exactly where it is.
It’s out there somewhere. I think.
Rome Again
The painting, yes… that indicates your level of commitment to your dream car, eh?
Krista
Most of them are conditioned not to. A show of hands: first off, the guys. How many of you were allowed/made to help out when repairs were being done to the house or car? Okay, now the ladies, show of hands? (My experience doesn’t apply, as my parents are both utterly useless with tools. They actually hire a guy when they need to hang a picture on the wall.)
For most of us women, it’s just not something we were encouraged to learn. In junior high, the girls were assigned to Home Ec, the guys took Shop. So of course, in high school, once Shop was an elective, it was the rare female who crossed over that invisible line. Things are starting to change, but it’s very, very slow going. I think you’ll start to see an increased change in the next couple of generations, though.
Zifnab
I believe my father’s exact words were, “Would you have your poor sweet mother changing the oil on my car? Now get busy.”
jenniebee
Heh, I wonder how the Orthodox Israelis react to this. We don’t think about Jews being the Burkha sort, but there are Jewish women who don’t have any physical contact with men outside their immediate family, who don’t show their hair in the presence of men other than their husbands, who don’t wear pants or skirts that could ever expose their knees, who can’t dance or swim or even practice a musical instrument around any non-family males. Crazy as it sounds, this resort sounds like the thing my Lubuvitch friend Sarah would really go for.
ZOMG – this could lead to fat, happy women and no war!
demimondian
Conversely, I was the only male in my typing class in high school. I took the course because I was already employed as a computer programmer, and thus had a purely economic incentive — typing fast pays for itself in this profession. I got a lot of odd stares on my way into the lab, too.
Zifnab
Actually, he’s an interesting question. Will they allow manimals on the island? How about womanimals?
Pb
I took Shop and Home Ec in school–we all did. And I am notably un-handy with tools, which is a trait that goes back at least a couple of generations along the male line in my family (including on my grandfather’s military aptitude tests). The same cannot be said for some of the women in my family or in my life, however.
ThymeZone
I admit, I am surprised at how slowly this change is happening. At the risk of pissing off the women here, I have to say, my hunch is that there is a lot more self-selection involved here than meets the eye. What I mean by that is, women are choosing this situation more than it is being forced on them. If mothers wanted their daughters to be able to get jobs like construction trade or other traditionally man-dominated jobs, they would push them in that direction, or at the very least, in a direction toward at least the daughters’ having the opportunites and making their own choices.
Which means, if I parse my own thinking correctly here … that what I said originally is basically true. Women aren’t in those jobs because — for whatever reason — they’ve chosen not to be.
That kind of change doesn’t get handed to people on a platter, they have to go out and get it. When women really demand equal opportunity and demonstrate the willingness to fight for it and then take the jobs we are talking about, that’s when change will happen. Which may not be entirely fair, but it’s reality, isn’t it?
It isn’t fair that black people had to fight for certain equalities and opportunities, but why do we remember the name Rosa Parks? Because she wouldn’t sit in the back of the bus, and helped kick off a nation-changing movement.
In geekdom, a previously male-dominated field, women were obviously attracted by the salaries and the job openings. And here they are. And they are kicking butt in these fields. I await the future legions of women plumbers, roofers, and masons.
Meanwhile … where’s that website for the man-dominated jobs on Girl Island again?
Ahem.
dreggas
Personally I prefer women who can and do or have done the jobs of men regarding construction, home improvement (beyond interior decorating) and the like simply because I prefer the strong independent type of woman who can dish it out and take it in just as good as the guys and who can in general pitch in on this sort of stuff. It shows a willingness to buck the system and be independent and not be stereotypical or allow themselves to be stereotyped and shows a lot of strength.
Women in the “traditional” role (and some may like that and like being that way) strike me as out of date and just not the type I would want to rely on if I needed to in a situation where I couldn’t do something or where I needed a “rock” to lean against when times are tough.
ThymeZone
Yeah, but look at Laura Bush and the way she saved America by being a rock for George!
Your kinda woman?
Heh. Only dishonest leftists with BDS would overlook that little fact, my friend.
Jake
Oh now please, can we skip the whole “furry” discussion?
Step away from the squirrel suit and no one gets hurt.
Rome Again
It does if your the son of the owner of a construction company.
ThymeZone
I cry fowl!
Er, foul!
Well, the children of the owner of any company have an unfair advantage, don’t they?
For some reason the name George Bush comes to mind. It paid for him to be the product of the union between his mother and a Saudi prince.
Jake
Cluck you.
[rim shot]
Rome Again
I’m just saying the term “& sons” is so much more in use than “& daughters”.
It’s too bad I thought of this now, with nine nieces and no nephews, my family could have been a great experiment in this direction.
Rome Again
Damn, I wish I’d thought of that!
ThymeZone
Awk!
Hyperion
i *think* you mean orthodox jews.
my impression (based on reading the bible) is that judaism’s issues around keeping men and women separate are more about “women have cooties when they bleed…*gross*” than about “women need to be protected from men”, which is a simplistic representation of islam’s POV.
but i imagine that, given the semitic roots of both religions, many of their similar attitudes about women (the hair thing!?) share a regional/cultural origin.
but this discussion speaks to the differences between the sexes. their reactions/motivations are NOT symmetric.
for example, when a man chooses to enter a predominantly female profession (e.g., nursing or teaching kindergarten), one negative is the response of some men that “no REAL man would want to be a ….”. and is that choice ever influenced by anxiety about potential sexual violence that might occur?
however, when a women chooses to enter a predominantly male profession, one negative is the response of some men that “no REAL woman would want to be a ….”. and the possibility that male resentment might be expressed as sexual violence is real.
so i think saying that women are not commonly found in the construction trades because they just don’t like that kind of work is naive.
Rome Again
Thank you, my point exactly!
ThymeZone
Sorry, no sale. First of all, what’s the percentage of women in these trades? My observation, highly unscientific, would be that it’s less than 5%, maybe less than 2%.
Second, are you suggesting that women deliberately avoid these trades out of fear of sexual violence? To the extent that essentially all women are reasonably afraid of this imagined violence and therefore eschew good paying jobs?
That’s …. bizarre. Even if true, it’s bizarre. And I definitely do not buy it as true.
Rome Again
Imagined violence?
Hmmm, TZ, I definitely need to teach you a few lessons.
Rome Again
This is a few years old, TZ, (2000 to be exact), but it’s findings from an official study into women in construction industries.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/womrisk.html
ThymeZone
Well, do we have any evidence that women on construction sites are being attacked or threatened in the way suggested?
And if so, why isn’t law enforcement involved? And if the reason is that the crimes are not being reported, then are we suggesting that a casual constrution mafioso exists to keep down and terrorize women?
Sorry, this might all be true, but I have no reason at all to believe it. Evidence, please?
Rome Again
God, I need coffee!
Rome Again
I want to again stress what I said to you in email last night… in your next life, you really need to come back as a woman and experience the entire situation from that point of view.
Zifnab
Let’s all be honest. The only reason any of us have jobs is because it will increase the odds – either directly or indirectly – of getting laid. That’s why men become construction workers, policemen, and cowboys. That’s why girls become nurses, school teachers, and french maids. That’s why corporate executives need all those giant CEO bonuses. Because otherwise, no one would touch the 60-year-old, balding, viagra chugging, half-senile nutcase.
If you’re wondering why people choose their professions, you need look no farther than your pants.
ThymeZone
Well, about all that link says to me is that women have different needs and issues on these jobs. Perhaps training of male supervisors and coworkers to alleviate some of these issues.
The link suggests that the work itself, or the tools, present hazards to women that are greater than the same hazards presented to men. Seems to me these are workplace safety issues and training issues that are addressable.
It makes reference to male coworkers basically doing what I would describe as giving some females a “hard time” on the job. But you know what? Newbies and rookies always get a hard time on some kinds of jobs, that’s just part of the culture. I’d say that some of this exists exactly for the purpose of running off the people — men, or women — who don’t have what it takes to suck it up and deal with the dangers and the rough stuff.
Here we go, I shall open the floodgates of hell now. Put a rookie man and rookie woman on the same jobsite, and subject them each to the hazing and rough treatment that might exist in this context.
later, let’s interview the two after they gave up and went into other jobs. Who is more likely to complain about the treatment? Can you picture the guy saying “Those fellows were mean to me!” I think you get my drift.
Let’s just say, still no sale as far as I am concerned. Not buying the conventional wisdom here at all.
Rome Again
Gee, I thought it was so that one would have food in their belly and a roof over their head.
I also happen think the rest of your argument only works on shallow people.
jenniebee
Actually, I meant Orthodox Israelis, who would be within traveling distance to avail themselves of such a resort, should they so choose. And the women need to be protected from men who are not responsible for controlling themselves is a big factor in Hasidic and Lubuvitch Judaism. My best friend from college went Lubuvitch, and it was quite a crash course, learning all the new things she couldn’t do and why, and all of it was “men aren’t responsible for the crazy we make them, but this is really so reverential and respectful to women” utter crap. She now has her husband cut her hair, to prevent any accidental chance that any other man might see it. And she’s given up dance classes, for the same reason. What gets really funny is that when she does come to town for a visit (to accomodate this, I have to send my husband away to visit his friends and scour my city for frozen dinners that are both kosher and vegan. Do I love this woman or what?) we are fortunate in that there is a tres butch lesbian bar in town. We go there, she changes into jeans in the bathroom, and she gets to spend the evening dancing.
Get past the political differences, and something like this resort would be an ideal getaway for Orthodox Jewish women like Sarah (the dietary requirements are similar, the gender segregation issues are nearly identical). The appeal of a place where, for a week, you can put off the headdress, wear jeans, learn to roller skate – not easy in a long skirt, trust me on this – whatever, would seem to me to be very appealing to women who are restricted from doing that at home, but who see other women who are not as strictly religious able to do all the time. If Israeli women perceive this as a safe place to vacation, it’s within the realm of possibility that it could form a foundation for detente.
Seriously, I hope they do this. Get some conferences scheduled there. Good stuff.
ThymeZone
Heh. I know a trick rhetorical device when I see one.
I ain’t touchin that straight line, my dear.
Rome Again
From the very first paragraph:
From the sixth paragraph:
Women workers are at disproportionately high risk for musculoskeletal injuries on the job, suffering 63 percent of all work-related repetitive motion injuries. Hazards such as radiation, glycol ethers, lead, and strenuous physical labor can affect a woman’s reproductive health, including pregnancy outcomes.
Rome Again
Sorry, my formatting skills leave much to be desired today.
Punchy
Sorry, TZ, but this is just willfull disingenuousness. Nobody calls the cops on their supervisors, or even their co-workers, if they wish to keep their job. Don’t even mention “whistleblower” protections. A farce. And it’s especially worse for someone in a non-traditional field, like women in construction. If she called the cops, she’d be blacklisted from every construction company within 400 miles. That’s not how it should be, but it’s the reality.
And this:
is just a truly bizzare statement. I’m guessing this is snark or spoof, right? Kinda hard to pay the mortgage with my tube snake, Zif, so I’m working for many reasons other than a decent Dirty Sanchez.
Rome Again
It’s only tricky rhetoric because you have a penis between your legs and I don’t. If you didn’t, you’d understand the difference.
But, nevermind, you were born with the most desired of all traits, and I can’t stop you from being deluded into thinking it’s just the norm.
ThymeZone
More women are killed by men than are men killed by women?
Wow, that’s earth shaking. Who knew?
What does that have to do with “workplaces?”
Aren’t we just describing a general societal problem?
What I’m getting here is that women don’t go into construction trades because they are afraid of being attacked by men. Is that the argument?
I just do not buy that at all. Sorry.
Even if that were true, it’s easily addressable. You can’t tell me that construction sites are now essentially no-man’s-lands devoid of law and order and that there’s nothing that can be done about it.
I don’t believe either the former or the latter element of that assertion.
Rome Again
God, I could cause a whole lot of trouble with that statement, but I’ll be good.
ThymeZone
Nope. It’s the truth. You are suggesting that construction sites are lawless, violent no-mans-lands, a hell for women, and that nothing can be done about it.
I think that’s not true, and I don’t believe it, and quite honestly, I have no reasonable imperative to believe it.
It just doesn’t make sense. It’s bizarre. And if it’s true, it’s an outrage that demands widespread and profound intervention at every level of the problem. Where is the outrage, and where is the action? Are you telling me that giant corporations, who run thousands of jobsites, who are subjected to all manner of government regulation and inspection, are running violent torture camps disguised as construction sites and nobody is doing anything about it?
Please. Let’s get serious here.
Rome Again
TZ, they aren’t talking about deaths and violence in general, they are talking about in the workplace.
Rome Again
Let’s try this again…
Rome Again
To understand this, TZ, you really need to have a vagina inserted into your body.
ThymeZone
Yeah, I get that. Therefore, my last post.
Construction sites as killing fields for women workers?
If that’s true, then it’s a trainwreck that nobody is doing anything about … or even talking about.
WTF?
ThymeZone
Really. I think a few corroborating facts would be easier.
In less than an hour, we went from “women are conditioned to not do this kind of work” to “women aren’t safe on construction sites, it’s a killing field out there.”
I’m actually sorry I brought it up now, I was actually looking for a reasonable discussion.
Rome Again
You yourself said that there aren’t many women in the construction field. It is not a widespread problem, but there are violent deaths that occur. It is not a problem that is actively fought because it happens to a very small percentage of women. There are much bigger problems on the plate of the average citizen. They just don’t have the time to get riled up over something that they see as affecting a very small portion of the population.
Rome Again
The experience of female human conditioning can’t be told in a few corroborating facts. Sorry!
Krista
I’m sure it’s one factor, but I doubt it’s the biggest one. Frankly, I think the biggest factor is that a lot of girls are just never given any kind of exposure to those kinds of trades. If they barely get to see carpentry or plumbing being done, let alone try their hand at it, then it won’t even occur to them that this is a viable career option. Who knows…maybe if more girls were shown how to work with their hands and with tools at a young age, they’d fall in love with it and want a career in the skilled trades. But, if you’re never exposed to something, you’ll never develop a liking for it.
I could be wrong, of course — I’m just speaking from my own personal experience. I love working with tools and tinkering with stuff. Maybe if I’d had the opportunity to discover that love at an earlier age, my entire career path would have been different.
ThymeZone
Yeah, I was just looking for an alternative to the sex change operation you so generously offered.
I know, I am an ungrateful lout.
The world may need one more woman, but I think you can find better candidates out there than me :-)
Just sayin’
Rome Again
I said in your next life, TZ… I had no designs on you changing it in THIS lifetime.
Rome Again
I totally agree Krista. I mentioned this to TZ last night too.
Face
Nice. Not sure what’s funnier…that Punch mentions the dirty sanchez, or that he capitalizes it likes it’s suddenly a respected proper noun.
ThymeZone
Hey, who wants a coffee?
Heh.
ThymeZone
Whew.
Rome Again
Me! Light and sweet please.
Rome Again
No worries, TZ, you already missed the window of opportunity for full-blown childhood female indoctrination. This is what you really need to experience, and why I said “in your next lifetime”.
ThymeZone
Dang.
Krista
Well, um…there is a particular field of work that would allow both the former and the latter.
Richard 23
Apparently you haven’t seen Flashdance or Steelworker Sluts 5. Of course I’ve never seen Flashdance either and Steelworker Sluts is a fictional gonzo series.
HyperIon
no. i gave an example of the gender asymmetry with respect to making a decision to work in a particular profession that is dominated by the other gender.
i am suggesting that it is more complicated than just “i could be a construction worker but it just doesn’t appeal to me”.
i am also suggesting that when someone posits this explanation for why women choose not to be construction workers, it tends to gloss over the asymmetry.
IMO sexuality and sexual violence are two areas where that asymmetry is most prevalent.