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Essay on Explaining why men are stronger than women
There are various reasons why men are stronger than women. Our culture has traditionally viewed strength as a masculine trait and promoted a small, frail body as feminine. Consequently, girls have been discouraged from participating in gross-motor-skill activities and strength development. Such sex role stereotypes, formed early in childhood, can dictate behavior and limit women's and men's ability to express their full humanity. This means that some women may have never achieved their potential for physical well being, fitness, and athletic participation. The advent of the women's movement in the 1970s allowed many women to overcome such traditional socialization and participate more freely in sports and strength training. However, change occurs slowly, and physical strength and strength training are still not as common or accepted for women as they are for men.
The key physiological differences between men and women relate to the fact that the male hormone testosterone is a much more potent anabolic agent than female oestrogen thus men tends to have larger, stronger muscles and less subcutaneous fat than women. On average women are 7-10% fatter than men. In cycling top female runners tend to have 12-20% body fat compared to 5-10% for their male counterparts. This contrasts with 18-25% for elite female cyclists and 10-15% for elite males. This additional body fat is a consequence of being female and a difference that needs to be accepted by women athletes in general. Because body weight is supported in cycling fat does not present such a drawback as in running but accounts for the greater differences between men and women in hilly events as compared to flatter events.
The additional body fat does not seem to offer any benefits to women in endurance events even though up to 50% of the energy requirements may be met through fat metabolism......
