So which species is more evolved?
Whales are the only other mammals that experience menopause. Female whales can live 50-90 years after their reproductive ability ends and 40 years longer than male whales on average. Marine biologists in England discovered an interesting fact about post-menopausal killer whales.
The other whales tend to follow these females, especially when food is scarce. The after-menopause female whales were more likely to be the group leader and to have more males following them than any other type of whale.
Why doesn’t this happen with humans? The post-menopausal woman isn’t revered in our culture. She’s ignored, which is why – I think – women fear aging so much. They know that once they stop secreting eggs people, not just men, won’t pay as much attention to them.
This is a shame. There’s no replacement for experience, male, female or whale. We ought to respect and honour older women and older men alike. I’ve come to coin a phrase about younger supervisors who are male and have no idea how to communicate with me. (This isn’t about anyone in particular – it’s just a generality.) It’s a little crude but anyone I’ve shared it with tends to agree. “If they don’t want to boink you, they don’t know how to talk to you.”
Yesterday was International Women’s Day. Some men ask why we need one. Simply put, because every other day of the year is international men’s day, men make more money than we do for the same (or inferior) work and we still don’t have true equality. Any more questions?
Today’s youth have a serious problem with communications period.
It’s also why we celebrate International Day of the Disabled on December 3 RD, however without all the fan fair and media attention given to international women’s day. We only wish we could obtain the equality woman have obtained to date, even with all its imperfections, but that’s merely a pipe dream.
That day should be a lot more well known, Allan. In fact, as long as I’ve been on this planet, this might be the first I’m hearing about it. That’s not right!
Here is an old article to give you some background.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the World Programme of Action adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1982. The theme for 2008 is the “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and Justice for all of us”.
On May 3, 2008 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006 entered into force after receiving its 20th ratification from a member state of the United Nations. Canada has not yet ratified this Convention. (We did a few years ago finally)