Are men from Mars and women from Venus?

摘要

In all types of research it has become common to accept that men and women have different lifeworlds. Outside the research world this conviction really gathered momentum with the publication in 1992 of ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’, written by the American author and relationship counselor John Gray. The book and its central idea have had a major impact on popular culture. We accept the existence of a gender difference that makes it both necessary and acceptable from time to time to separate girls from boys during their school years to optimize their learning. In addition, package holidays, hotels, and courses adjusted to a specific gender are gaining popularity. This gender segregation is generally regarded as common sense, but has it come under sufficient critical scrutiny?