Although the science might come down slightly on their side, it’s hard to take studies seriously that claim women can’t handle pain. My boyfriend takes the day off from work every time he has a bellyache, but I suffered through kidney stones, the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, and only agreed to go to the hospital because I couldn’t sleep. My best friend described childbirth as “not really that bad.” I knew ballerinas who would dance until their feet were bloody and battered. No matter what these scientists say, I know far too many men who cry over a stubbed toe and way too many women who put up with chronic and excruciating pain to believe that women really are the weaker sex.
Updated August 13, 2010
When It Comes to Pain, Who’s the Weaker Sex?
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@Deb, sure, some men do it for their buddies, but generally it has nothing to do with that. Men are just built to handle pain better, it's biology. And typical woman, uses child birth as an excuse, pathetic. Show me a woman that doesn't wince or use drugs during birth and then you can talk! By the way, kidney stones are proven to hurt more than birth and men get those 3-4x more than women and they pop them out with no problem. @Omar A, it isn't socially constructed, it's BIOLOGICALLY constructed. We expect men and women to be that way because...well...they naturally have always been! And it is true that women have more pain receptors than men, the article IS proof. It's called human anatomy. If you can't find it to show as proof you're looking in all the wrong places.
In my experience, men like to put on a show of being stoic in front of their buddies or strangers, but the woman in their life has to deal with the whining and complaints, even over the slightest cold. Women may let their spouse know they are sick, but still go about the daily grind of cooking, cleaning, etc. Men are sympathetic to women's complaints to a degree, but don't get the "female stuff". Bottom line, show me a man giving birth without wincing and I'll believe the studies!
What it really comes down to is social constructs. We EXPECT men to take the pain. But when us men actually become HUMAN and show pain, then it's like, "Oh, he's such a baby...he's hurting after a major surgery." We EXPECT women to be weaker about pain. So when a woman doesn't overact the way they do in movies, then it's like, 'Oh wow! Woman are sooo strong." Of course, women have a higher tolerance for pain in the nether regions, that's pretty obvious. But overall, women have more pain receptors on their body. That's another article I read and for the life of me I can't find it to show as proof. It's not like we're going to start hitting women and sending them to war because we read a few instances where women have coped with pain better than a man; so just leave everything as it is people!
@Cindi D. Actually not that many women who've dealt with a sick man will beg to differ that men have a higher tolerance for pain, and the ones that do are wrong, and obviously blind and uneducated. Women complain A LOT more then men. Don't give me some BS now, seriously. If a man has a woman in his life you can bet your bottom 50 dollars that he WON'T complain to her, and even if he does, he just likes to be pampered. Nothing wrong with that. Most men won't complain to their woman or anyone else, however. Most women will complain to their man when they're sick, seeing as women complain A LOT more then men do, about everything. Men have a higher pain threshold and tolerance. Just like the article says. Thank you.
Pain absolutely varies from individual to individual-but try being a woman on psych meds for a chemical imbalance-after the eye-roll-it's nearly always "have you talked to your psychiatrist about your pain?". Bitter? Absolutely! Cause of pain still undiagnosed? You bet! Talked to the psychiatrist just to be sure it's physical and NOT mental? Yes- their response? List out the specialists to see and what lab/tests needed to be done. Being a woman does get you prejudiced treatment for pain, being a woman with a chemical imbalance-you might as well learn to just deal with it!
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