If you could CHOOSE to be a female or male at birth, what would you pick?

[TwixBix1]

If you could CHOOSE to be a female or male at birth, what would you pick?

I don't mean gender reassignment, trans etc. but actually getting to decide at time of your birth to be either male or female, based on knowing what you know from having lived as a male or female (I presume most people here will be female!) and give your reasons why :)

Female.

It is a man's world but I still love being female.

Male.
I was very late in eventually identifying with my mother. She was brilliant and very intelligent but she didn't go out into the world. My father on the other hand travelled for work to interesting and dangerous places. He had adventures, she had piles of laundry.
As a result I was a bit of a tom boy. Most friends were boys. My father encouraged my interests and taught me things, he had projects which he included me in, he was active and curious about the world and would plan great get-a-aways. He raced cars, gambled, mixed with interesting people, drank whiskey and told fantastic stories.

It was only much later when I was finally able to identify with my mother and completely understood that her life was as it was because she was female. Just as mine is defined by inequality, lack of better opportunity, a crushing sense of having to be passive, serene, nurturing and to be expected to naturally put others first. Women are held up to higher expectations in terms of being selfless. I sometimes even aspire to it, but it doesn't sit naturally in me, and sometimes I feel very aggrieved.

Male (which I am). We are simple creatures.

All those hormones/periods/menopause doesn’t look like much fun to me.

I'd be a cat. They don't care how much another cat spends on them before they'll sleep with them

I like being female but I think it would be far easier being a male.

Why has my post been deleted? I will rephrase it. Go here and compare the OP name with this one who started this thread.
Then make an informed decision as to whether to post on this one.

How is it fair to deprive MNers of this info?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/3523047-Online-dating-how-much-has-a-men-spent-on-you-before-you-do-the-deed

Journalist?

Male. 100%

To be honest, I'm actually shocked that any woman would choose being female.I really don't understand why. It seems the height of naivety to me.

I work in a male dominated world and every success I have ever achieved has been double the battle that any man has ever gone through for half the success outcome.

The whole social structure world is designed around a patriachal and misogynistic structure. Every day , in almost every way it is a disadvantage to be a woman.

To put it in simple terms, if you wanted to become President of the United States, the odds of ever doing that as a woman are so hugely hugely reduced, if you could choose your gender why would you choose one that is has to fight so much prejudice at ever stage. I get that not everyone wants to be President of the US - I'm using it as a clear and simple illustration. There are so much more opportunities open to men, they have easier lives and are physically more able to protect themselves than women.

Really don't get why anyone would say female. Really does not compute for me.

Twix, why don’t you get an actual hobby?

Definately female.
Don't want to be president and have never encountered sexism in my 42 years on this earth.

Male. It makes lazy journalism so much easier.

Thanks to a lot of you for your insightful answers - it's great to appreciate different people's views on genders in today's world.

Those who oddly think I'm a journalist - haha no idea where you get your ridiculous ideas and paranoia from as surely forums are for ASKING questions and we could say that about any thread with a relatively philosophical/personal/interesting question in it. My career has nothing to do with journalism and while it's an interesting topic to post about, I wouldn't say it's an interesting topic for a newspaper article!

@SeaweedDress Why don't YOU get an actual hobby instead of opening threads which are of no interest to you, to write sarcastic, rude comments? Seems a very odd and sad thing to do tbh.

Male!
At birth, you've no attachment to either sex, so logically, male.

Stronger, no threat of sexual violence. Likely to earn more. Can put off parenthood. Listened to / heard / valued more at work. Lots of character attributes interpreted positively rather than negatively.

Male.

Cheaper clothes, products, no tampon tax needed, pay is generally higher, less effort when getting ready, less pressure in regard to looks (not saying they find have pressure, just less of it)
They dont have to do the giving birth or being preg

I sneezed and clicked post.

Visits to the hair salon are cheaper, by a mile!
Dont have to have smear tests or mammograms.
They never need a hysterectomy.
They never get periods and the pain that comes with.
They dont go through menopause.
You can buy a plain white t-shirt for £5 but women have to pay an extra £10 at least.. because we're women!

Fuck the daily mail.

Don't take the bait!

Female-wouldn't miss breastfeeding or being a Mummy for anything

A child asked this exact question on Sam and Mark's Big Friday Wind Up today.

I'm not sure.
I'd be a bit frightened of the unknown with being a man... but I'd also be interested to see how it might make my life play out differently... and I do think it would make my life play out very differently.

I dont feel attached to my gender, I still think I'd be essentially the same person were I a man... but it would effect the choices I made and the experiences I had.

Before I had my son I’d have said male. As a child I was desperate to be a boy, this resentment towards being female followed me until my mid teens. However, I have since discovered that I love being a maternal motherly mother haha. I now love babies and feel very privileged that I’ve carried a child and given birth- despite all the pain and obvious difficulties.

There’s nothing about being male that I see as a plus over being a woman

More pay for working the same job? More chance of getting a job or promotion in the first place

Living day-to-day life without harassment.

No periods or menopause.

Less at risk of sexual violence.

The list goes on tbh

Male 100% my families culture means I won't mount to anything other than a wife and mother even though I'm expected to do everything the men do too. They get recognised for it. We don't. I now have 2 daughter's and will push them to demand respect and equality in life.

There are lots of practical reasons to choose male, but I wouldn't give up being female for anything. Not the only reason but I wouldn't want to have missed out on giving birth to my babies.

Easy. Male.

There’s nothing about being male that I see as a plus over being a woman

^

Really? Honestly, really? Nothing at all?

Jesus wept