Critical Difference Theory

I’ve worked it out - the difference between men and women. Took a while but I’m now content. Not the obvious physical difference, that’s simple enough. No, the mindset, the thinking, the approach to life. In other words, the critical difference.

Baths and showers. That’s it!

Forget all that, ‘women are from Venus, men are from Mars’ stuff. That can be condensed into a much more down to Earth example. Yes, baths and showers. Let me explain.

Generally, women love to take a bath but men much prefer to shower. When it comes to bath time, women love to make an event out of it - essential oils, soft lighting, scented candles, calming music, perhaps even a light white wine, indulging and pampering themselves. Men just turn on the shower, get in, scrub themselves clean and get out. A five minute, non-thinking, functional job.

And in those moments we see the difference. Women - in touch with their inner selves, their emotional brain, the side that creates empathy, indulges feeling, develops tactility. Men - it’s an essential task, zero emotional input, get it done, move on, get on with life.

Simplistic, I know, but from each of those approaches we can begin to see the critical difference and therefore better understand the attitudes of both genders to life and how they behave.

N.B:

1. The above is based on perceived specific behaviour traits based on observation (No! Not peering in through bathroom windows; observation on listening to people and over lifetime some actual experience) and is not intended to compare one gender less favourably than the other. It is accepted that women shower too; it is accepted that men sometimes take baths, usually to alleviate a minor sports injury but never use candles and any additional and unnecessary paraphernalia when they do.

2. For any astronomers reading this, the reference to three specific planets was simply to enhance the narrative and was not intended to convey any scientific input. And if you are an astronomer, well done for reading this far when clearly this had nothing to do with astronomy. 

3. The above refers to ‘both genders’ for two reasons. The first is that in this case it focusses simply on what was considered the norm for many centuries, men and women, and therefore is using those categories as the sample. The second because the writer has no knowledge of bathing habits related to any other gender.

4. It is understood that not every time a woman decides to take a bath she makes an event of it. Of course not. Women have busy lives and lots of responsibilities so do not have the time for frequent bathtime indulgence. The point is that when they do have the time, women are much more likely than men to take the approach detailed.

5. No, I didn't have stats to back it up. Who in their right mind does a survey on people's bathing preferences? Oh, yeah, shower gel and soap companies perhaps.