Are men and women equal?

The press was first referred to as the Fourth Estate, about 200 years ago. Monarchy was still common then. The other three estates were Monarchy (King), the Church and the Parliament.

Q Why did the Egyptians build huge pyramids?

— Munyal N Krishnan, Ulhasnagar

The pyramids were built to preserve the dead bodies of rulers. They were edifices to the memory of these rulers. Most scholars agree that they were intended to bring about a closer union between heaven and the deceased rulers.

Q Why do women consider themselves equal to men?

— M U Khan, Dhulia

Your presumption, that women are not equal to men has no scientific basis. Among other species of animals, the female seems to be a more perfect product than the male.

These days, when women are holding even those positions once dominated by men, it may sound unfashionable to talk of little inborn differences between the male and the female. But many biologists feel that the differences do exist.

Melissa Hines’ research revealed that from a very young age, boys favour sports cars and fire trucks while girls are drawn towards kitchen toys and dolls. She concluded that it is not correct to say this is because parents bring them different kinds of toys. One batch of girls in her study defied such expectations and consistently preferred boys’ toys. These girls, had a rare genetic abnormality that caused them to produce elevated levels of male hormone. Researchers have documented that heart disease strikes men at a younger age than women and that women have a more moderate physiological response to stress than men. They have also found subtle neurological differences both in the brain’s structure and in its functioning, which suggests that nature is perhaps far more responsible for the differences between the two sexes than nurture or environment. One should not forget though, that these differences don’t reflect on the capacities of either sexes in any way.