Women: an inquiry

The essay interrogates whether sexual difference implies a distinctive spiritual or creative function, arguing that many supposed distinctions are products of male-dominated societies rather than inherently sexual. It surveys the contradictory attitudes men hold—both contempt and exaltation—and links these contradictions to fear, taboos, and social mechanisms that limit development. Physiological and behavioural differences are treated as effects, not causes, and dismissed as insufficient evidence for essential division. The piece asks whether the creative work associated with women is different in kind from men's, acknowledges the difficulty of proving this within a one-sided civilisation, and calls for a clearer conception of womanhood.