In what respect do you think men and women are different?
I'm not talking about the physical differences between the sexes. Are there natural differences between the genders? Sure, we can witness some differences between men and women. For example, men score higher on maths tests than women. Also, men make more money than women. How could we ever tell if these facts come from a natural difference between the genders, or if they come from society imposed roles? We cannot, because there is no control group. Every single person is raised, interacts, evolves within gender roles. Every single person is immersed in a culture of gender binary.
Actually, the more we study this issue (by comparing cultures that have different gender roles for example), the more differences that were believed to be biological turn out to be a result of gender expectations. This is the case of the masculine edge in maths, for example.
So, in doubt, the only way to guarantee equal opportunity is to treat people as if gender were irrelevant.
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