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The Uncomfortable Science Of Sex Differences - Steve Stewart-Williams - #1120

Explore episode Jul 6, 2026

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Why Do Men Choose to Be Sexually Violent?

At 1:51:19 · chapter starts 1:48:26

The parenting sex difference is among the most politically sensitive findings in the field. Stewart-Williams presents it carefully: in every culture where good data exists, women do more direct parenting than men, even though human males do vastly more than most male mammals. Average differences in parental inclinations — not just social coercion by men — seem to be part of the explanation. The kibbutz experiment provides a natural test: Israeli communes that tried to replace biological parenting with communal child-rearing found that parents hated it. Crucially, it was the mothers — more than the fathers — who agitated against the arrangement and eventually broke it down. This is a classic example of a sex difference emerging despite culture, not because of it. Stewart-Williams then introduces his 'soft bigotry of male expectations' critique (coined by Williamson): the implicit assumption that whatever men do is the norm means that saying women are more naturally parental is treated as an insult — which only makes sense if parenting is devalued, which is itself deeply sexist.

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