Are Women Tougher than Men?

To ask the question is to answer it. None of this is particularly new but we rarely remember it until Mother's Day rolls around. This is not meant to trash men. Many men are terrific at helping out and sharing responsibilities, love their kids and are happy to cook some meals. None of this necessarily applies to women in same-sex relationships and doesn't necessarily apply to men in same-sex relationships. I realize these are generalizations but there is a reason they are generalizations: they are mostly true.

1. On average, women earn 75-80 cents for every dollar men earn. Most women under 50 work as many hours as their husbands do.
2. Women do most of the child rearing in this country, often while holding a full or part-time job.
3. Women do most of the regular housekeeping and indoor cooking (often as a short order cook for picky kids) even if they work full-time and arrive home from work at or about the same time as their husbands.
4. Women do most of the food shopping and clothes shopping for the entire family. They are charged with remembering everyone's sizes - including relatives on both sides of the family in the event they need to buy a gift. If a gift item is particularly expensive, despite who makes the purchase, women do the wrapping; men sign the card.
5. Most women do the majority of holiday gift shopping, remembering birthdays, wrapping, and sending invitations, congratulatory, thank-you and condolence cards.
6. Most women do most of the ferrying of kids to sports, music and dance practice and are expected to attend all of the events associated with it.
7. Women tend to keep all of the medical records of their kids, including innoculations, etc., and ensure that the kids get regular medical check-ups.
8. Many women pay all of the household bills, keep a budget and try to stick to it.
9. Most women are expected to be photo-ready before leaving the house to do anything, including stopping at a garage sale. They are expected to look younger and slimmer than their husbands regardless of age.
10. If their husbands are not handy or not interested, women are expected to learn the mechanics of all HVAC, electrical, plumbing and appliances and find the appropriate contractor or service provider to come on schedule for routine maintenance or in an emergency.
11. If widowed (women's life expectancy is longer than men's), a woman is expected to look like Malibu Barbie no matter what their age in order to attract a sloppy widower who is most interested in whether Malibu Barbie can cook and has a recliner chair and a wide screen television.
12. Women who drink a little too much are labeled drunks. Men who drink a little too much are labeled men who are stressed out.
13. Women who are good at their jobs and supervise or offer advice to others are bitches. Men who are good at their jobs and supervise others or offer advice are rising stars.
13. To paraphrase Ginger Rogers when discussing her film career with Fred Astaire: women do everything men do but it's harder for women because they have to do it all backwards.