Are men really the stronger sex?

If research is to be believed then the answer is no! A study published in the British Medical Journal states that men are "fragile", and have this trait even before they are born. The study acts as a follow up to the many studies conducted earlier that state that boys are biologically weaker than girls in the first few years of life. "The human male, on most measures, is weaker than the female", the study quotes. Though the biological weakness of the male child is fairly well recorded, it is not that well known. Most people still think that the male child is tougher than the female and thus treat him as such. Research on the other hand shows the opposite. Medically, the ratio of conception of a male foetus to a female foetus is almost 120:100. However, at the time of birth, it is seen that the ratio drops down to 105:100. This means that more boys die before being born than girls. And this fact does not stop at birth; male mortality is more than female mortality throughout life. Developmentally also boys lag behind. "A newborn girl is physiologically equivalent to a 4-6 week old boy". But the study says that all can't be blamed on biology. What compounds the problem is the society and culture. Most societies treat boys differently than girls. It is seen that parents and other care givers are more likely to cuddle and hold a crying baby girl than an infant boy. The reason cited for this is that boys, right from infancy, are expected to be stronger and less expressive than girls. Parents often may be embarrassed about cuddling a baby boy, whereas in reality, he probably needs it more than his sister. This difference spills into a boy's later life as well. Boys are more likely to have learning disabilities in school, suffer from hyperactivity, autism and speech disorders. During adolescence, more boys are likely to commit suicide and get into violent episodes than girls. Emotionally, boys who do not express themselves are weaker than others. Since most cultures discourage male expression of feeling, boys are more at risk for emotional upheaval than women. According to the study, men die earlier than women all over the world. Maybe the time has come to throw the adage "boys will be boys", out of the window and alter the meaning of the 'weaker sex'.