Interesting theory, what do you think?

[Schatten Lupus]

I was looking through a psychology text book, and was looking at the chapter about gender and sexuality. A part of this chapter did mention transsexuals, crossdressers, and transvestites. As for crossdressing, it said that cross dressing occurs more frequently in societies where men are the primary income makers, "which leaves researches to wonder if men sometimes cross dress to temporarily relieve the stress of being the breadwinner." It should be noted this is a 101 text book, so the only theories it goes into depth are the core theories, such as Psychoanalogy. I am just curious as to what people think of the bolded part, and if anyone feels any stress relief from the social pressures of "being a man?"

[Freddy12]

That's not it for me. I have crossdressed more after I stopped work than ever before.

[RockerTerri]

The amount of psychology courses I have had to take as a part of my major is staggering (considering I am not a psych major) and I have begun to form something of a hypothesis on this, based on conversations with my profs, doctors, and the posts on here.

Clothing (appearance in general; hair, makeup, whatever) is connected to a social set. The extreme social division of "male" or "female" places clothing, among a skillion other things, into each set.

But gender identity, for ANYONE, not just us, is not a simple choice between 2 selections. Its a continuum, with extremes at either end, and while society (oddly) chooses those extremes to represent "ideal" male or female identities, most of humankind falls in the middle; admittedly, their gender identity is usually closer to their biological sex than ours, but it all varies.

Our brains develop ways of reacting to things; feelings, physical sensations, emotions, colors, everything. Some of us seem to have been born identifying with the feelings, colors, etc etc. that are associated with "female" than with "male". Like the normal run of humanity, the CD/TG community also runs along this continuum; perhaps those of us who are TG are just closer to, or more strongly pulled to, those concepts that society identifies as "female". CDers feel this pull too, but for whatever reason, are not as compelled to actually change their social gender, nor their bodies to match the chosen sex.

The division between gender and sex is important; gender is a social construct. There is no biological reason "women wear skirts, and men dont". Society says so, so we follow suit, mostly due to fear of ostracism.

Gender is related to how we percieve things, our likes and dislikes. Our brains decide how we feel about what. And society says "well, that is a feminine set of attributes", so, we must be female. See?

I just know we're all born how we are, so in this one instance, "nature" seems to triumph over "nuture", even though gender is a social construct, and would fall into the nurture category.

I now have a headache!

[docrobbysherry]

I've read SO MANY posts here, where folks say dressing "relaxes" them. Which I DON'T GET!:eek: I find dressing exciting and stimulating!

I ALSO find it very "distracting". In other words, I concentrate on dressing, and don't think about other things. While I'm NORMALLY preoccupied! But, NOT when I'm dressing, or thinking about dressing.:D
I concentrate almost completely on what I'm doing when I'm CDing.

Does THAT qualify as, " Reducing stress"? In MY case, probably!:)

[AKAMichelle]

There is a huge stress relieving component to cd'ing. I know that I have benefited over the years with the stress relief.

[Brandi Wyne]

No shrink here but I think there is some merit to the concept. The thing that I also find interesting is that many of us here waited till we were somewhat older to really start the crossdressing as a more full time way of life. One would think the burdens of providing lessened with those years as many of the obligations have been passed or survived.

What did it say about little boys crossdressing? I remember wearing my mom's nylons when I was just four or five years old.:battingeyelashes:

[Billijo49504]

I got a 26 yr old girl that isn't willing to work and wants to live off the system and what her mother wants to give her. So yes, cross dressing is a very big stress reliever. I dress every day, since I retired....BJ

[giuseppina]

It's about stress relief and escapism for me, too. :)

[Nicole Erin]

I can see it being a balancing therapy.
Everyone seeks balance in different ways.

[kimdl93]

Like some others who have commented, I was dressing long before I was a primary bread winner. I can see where some men might see this as an escape from the responsibilities of male persona, but that is in some respects a reflection of a romaticized view of female life. Most women, including my grand mothers, mother, wives and sisters have always carried substantial responsibility both inside and outside the home. Knowing that, I could hardly seek out feminine attire as an escape from responsibility.

[Andrea Reynolds]

I have often called crossdressing my escape from this reality to my preferred reality. Dressing does have a substantial calming effect on me and causes me to move about more slow and gentle manner. Being a gurl is my evolved state. aNDREA

[Crissy Kay]

I think they may have a factor there, but it does not apply to everyone. I do find some escape myself at times, but most of the time its just a fun thing for me.

[April Renee]

I can see it being a balancing therapy.
Everyone seeks balance in different ways.
.
Nicole I agree and that is the best thing said from you in a while, thanks!
.
April

[katiemay34]

I'd say for me there's definitely some stress relief and a bit of escapism in it, but I'm not sure it's specifically "from being the breadwinner."

[Vickie_CDTV]

To me it makes total sense. Crossdressing can be an escape from the oppressive burdens and expectations society puts on men, and that includes being the primary breadwinner.

[StephanieDragg]

I feel much less stress when dressed but my first thought is that many of us tried on our sisters, mothers clothes, etc .. when we were very young, before we earned a dime! :2c:

[Jess81CD]

That's not it for me. I have crossdressed more after I stopped work than ever before.
Could be argued that your dressing was pleasureable while you worked and therefore ceased to be about stress relief so when you stopped work it was habit.

Not picking or anything just a statement.

I am a psychology student and to be honest for every theory in one direction there's another in the opposite.

[Joanne f]

I have never bought into this "i cross dress because i am stressed thing" as i feel that the more you are stressed the less likely you are to do something you like , but maybe that is just me.
If the theory that you dressed because you are the main bread winner was right then in theory cross dressing should be slowly disappearing (instead of increasing) as women are becoming more of the bread winners in relationships now plus it would also mean that the more high status job you had would make it more likely for you to CD and then when retirement comes you would stop .
OK it may play a part for some but i do not think that it is the new found secret to cross dressing .:heehee:

[Elizabeth 66]

Over the years i have suffered from stress and depression, in 2001 i was in hospital in intensive care with chest pains, which were attributed to stress, my depression was so bad that at times i was so close to taking my own life that i was yet again in hospital.

Since i have accepted who i am, which is a recent occurrence, i have felt at peace with myself, i am not depressed and i no longer feel stressed, but for me it is not just the cross-dressing, it is the full package and knowledge of knowing who i am.

[EjayeCD]

I have a very macho job, a police lt, and I do believe that dressing does in fact relieve the pressure of day to day pressures. It's very relaxing.

[/stephanie]

for me this does not quite fit

[Shari]

Perhaps for the few but not the many.

One "excuse" is as good as another, I suppose.

I don't make excuses, I just enjoy and have done so since long before I ever paid my first dollar into the federal coffers.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

gosh i think excuses is a very guilty minded way to look at it...

i would never call the reason why you crossdress an excuse..thats like calling being gay an excuse for having sex with men..

one observation (and its not scientific) is that there is a heavy preponderance of macho and analytical behaviour/jobs among us..

thinking of balance, its interesting to consider it goes both ways...you know in your heart how deeply your feminine feelings are...so your "guy side" is more and more macho...

ejaye you are not alone...i know a 3 star army cd, union guys, an army ranger, wall street investment bankers..etcetc..its pretty interesting

[JennaR]

And yet, through it all, there must be a common thread that runs through us all. When we find that we will have answered the question of why we are compelled to cross gender lines

[victoriamwilliams1]

Maybe for the late bloomers! I started at age 5, however stress increases my need to dress.

[stephanie100]

the same problems worries etc are there weather I am dressed male or fem no differance. so i dont see that theory being correct.

[Jessy]

I don't believe it.
First of all, "relief of stress" is in no way a reason for me to crossdress. I can just as well lay on the couch in guy mode and relax. And since we're at it, like being a house wife wouldn't be stressing... ;)

Second, the theory doesn't apply on me at all. In my area, both men and women have jobs and it's very normal. I must say that in my own family, my father was indeed the only breadwinner. So maybe I figured to relief his stress, helping him out doing the crossdressing part :D

[JOJO44]

Not if you are six -seven and trying to pass. :sad:
Not if you have a face that resembles a blast area and try to look feminine.
Not if your voice sounds like a rumbling fog horn and . . .
I am certain you get the drift.


This is not my idea of stress free.

[Chickhe]

of all the theories and explainations not one feels like the correct answer. All I know, is there is some desire to do it, why, I do not know. It is an escape sometimes and other times it just feels good. Logically, it causes internal conflict.

[Tina B.]

Hiding, sneaking around, keeping secrets, shame, guilt. These are just some of what CD'ers say they do, which one of those things are relaxing? Fear of discovery, no thats not the relaxing part.
Another one that started dressing way before I knew what adult stress was, and I don't remember it being relaxing then either.
Yes it does reduce stress, but only the stress brought on by not dressing, it doesn't seem to do much for the rest of it.
Being made to feel complete, that reduces stress, and that is what dressing helps me to do. There is a side of me that is softer and gentler than the side of me that I show the world, and the side that loves color, soft fabrics, and frilly things, that need to be satisfied, and Tina does that for me.
Tina B.

[CherryZips]

Lets face it the social scientists have no idea.

I can see some researcher listening to a crossdresser saying "it relaxes me" and coming up with a theory but for such a universal activity to be because of work related pressures looks doubtful to me.

[Vieja]

These psychologists have a theory for everything. I have been the breadwinner all my adult life and have never felt stressed by it. My father was the breadwinner, my grandfather was too so I guess I always figured that was to be my role in life.

Vieja

[Karren H]

Ohh come on!! That has to be the dumbest statement I have ever heard!! Like what society on this planet are the men not the primary income producers?? And funny... At the age of 7.... I didn't have a job and didn't have any stress in my life but yet I still wandered into my mothers closet one fateful day??

Omg. I just realized that all men that crossdress breath air!!! Got to be some sort of relationship?? Lol.

[RockerTerri]

Ohh come on!! That has to be the dumbest statement I have ever heard!! Like what society on this planet are the men not the primary income producers?? And funny... At the age of 7.... I didn't have a job and didn't have any stress in my life but yet I still wandered into my mothers closet one fateful day??

Omg. I just realized that all men that crossdress breath air!!! Got to be some sort of relationship?? Lol.

This theory is as valid as any other, no doubt.

[Karren H]

This theory is as valid as any other, no doubt.

Yeah! I'm still working on my favorite theory... alien abduction... But I still haven't figured out who got abducted.. My mom or me? Or both!

I have this overwhenling compulsion to dressup like Lt Uhura and put my left hand up to my ear.. "we have a communication coming in, Captin".

[Ashley Allen]

I think that for many of us we do get stress relief from CD'ing; however, this is a good example of which came first the chicken or the egg. I don't dress because I am stressed, if anything I don't feel like dressing when my stress level is high. Definitely don't dress when I am angry.

For me, I would be more willing to state that I dress out of a rebelious desire. I hate being told how I should behave or how I should dress. The standards our culture puts on gender identity are 100% make believe. And all that think we should listen to our society to determine how we should behave are sad shallow sleeping souls.

Males and females are not any different at the spiritual level, only at the animal level do they differ. Do the different hormones and chemical makeups have males and females behaving differently, depends on how awake one really is to the universe, but in general most of us allow our emotions to control us from time to time.

It's all about presenting yourself how you feel.

The more pyschology you learn the more you realize it's just someones ego trying to show off and come up with an explanation for what doesn't need to be explained. The thing about theories is that everyone has one and no ones is right. But good for topic providers.

[Abbyru1]

I'm the major bread winner here --at least until this past Monday night-but being dressed doesn't take away or add to the stress.
It's just what I do when I have the time
which now,will be a bunch.

[Brina Halloween]

stress = more desire........not the entire equation but, it is one of my dressing motivations. Definitely been working on it being more "fun" than stress relief though. Not sure I said that well but, dressing because stressed also meant I was not effectively addressing the source of the stress.

[bobi jean]

I was looking through a psychology text book, and was looking at the chapter about gender and sexuality. A part of this chapter did mention transsexuals, crossdressers, and transvestites. As for crossdressing, it said that cross dressing occurs more frequently in societies where men are the primary income makers, "which leaves researches to wonder if men sometimes cross dress to temporarily relieve the stress of being the breadwinner." It should be noted this is a 101 text book, so the only theories it goes into depth are the core theories, such as Psychoanalogy. I am just curious as to what people think of the bolded part, and if anyone feels any stress relief from the social pressures of "being a man?"

personally. I believe that for most us, cross dressing began long before we became bread winners. some of us before we became teenagers, and for some even before we were in the double didgets. that would completely dimiss "stress of being a bread winner". I'm not saying it was not because of stress of other sorts, just not being bread winners for a good number of us.
Me, I was born this way, so I guess the stress of being born caused it.

[Rebecca Petersen]

May I ask when the book was written?
Have to go with Karen on this one, at age 5 my only stress factors were when I was going to eat, poop, play and sneek into my mothers closet.
Another thought, with as much unemployment as there is, would that reduce the CDing frequency, since now you're not winning any bread, or increase the frequency due to more stress because you're not winning any bread?

[Gerrijerry]

I have been the same since I was a very yound child, so stress as a male or female feels the same to me.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

shame and guilt can create all kinds of rationalizations ...

i've never met anyone that picked up crossdressing once their jobs got tough...

"aww man, i have a big presentation tomorrow, i'm ssoooo stressed....hey i know!!! I'll get dressed up as awoman!!!"
...i dont think so

the reasons why are fun to guess at but will likely not be known in any of our lifetimes...some say they don't care...i would love to know..

[suchacutie]

Escapism has always been a form of stress relief. However:

1) In this case they would be escaping to a place that could bring them tremendous ridicule.

2) Crossing the gender line takes time and effort, generating more stress.

3) There are thousands of other forms of stress relief that don't require the time to buy and hide clothes/wig/makeup/shoes and are complete escapism!

Isn't it interesting that the theories about transgerderism always center around some negative approach to life... How about theories surrounding intelligence, empathy, sensitivity, morality, faithfulness, and/or ethical character leading to a high percentage of transgenderism?

Tina has only existed for 5 years but I'm already a bit tired of trangenderism being looked at through a negative lens. It might be one hell of a lot easier to figure out who we are if the starting premise is positive!!!!!

just my :2c:

tina

[zoe m]

That theory doesn´t really make sense to me, as my desire to crossdress started when I was very small, before I knew what breadwinning was. I do see that crossdressing, like any activity that makes you feel happy, can relieve stress, including the stress of working. But now there are more and more two-income households anyway. And for me, it´s complicated, sometimes stress increases my desire to dress, sometimes it decreases it. Just like anything that´s fun and that you enjoy, it can be an escape, but if the stress of outside life is just too much, it can kill off anything that you enjoy or love.

[SherriePall]

When I started CDing, I was only eating bread -- not winning it.

[Loni]

I dress because it feels good and right.

yes it relaxes me, and excites me (not sexual) at the same time.
i started dressing long before i had or needed a job. so that is not part of the want/need/etc. it is just part of how i was built, no changing that.
if one must bring fro-id into it...they have already lost.
how can one not be what they are?? to do so is a very tragic ending problem.

if we were all the same, life and the world would be very boring.

.

[Lynneth Lee]

I, too, started CDing when I was about 5, so that is that. I just came back after purging about 6 yrs. ago and I can say without a doubt that returning to CDing reduced my stress to ZERO !! I'm retired, so the breadwinning doesn't come into play. But the stress my SO put me thru insisting that I give it up was BAD. She has her reasons though and I am okay now. Gosh, does dressing feel good !! :)

NANETTE FAYE :love:

[Butterfly Bill]

Most of us started when we were teenagers, long before we took on any adult responsibilities.

[Jessy]

Another thought, with as much unemployment as there is, would that reduce the CDing frequency, since now you're not winning any bread, or increase the frequency due to more stress because you're not winning any bread?
I recently lost my job. And I say CDing frequency increases, but only because I got more time :D

[Schatten Lupus]

Myself, I didn't give much thought to the stress relieve of being the breadwinner, but I thought it was interesting to see that crossdressing occurs in cultures more frequently when men are the primary money makers. Of course most cultures that are industrialized have many issues, such as higher rates of obesity, better information access and so, but I thought it was interesting to see that even the rate of cross dressing seems to be not only biological, but to some extent cultural.

[Ruth]

I think there's something in the idea, though it probably doesn't apply to all CDing.
Myself I feel being dressed as Ruth is in some respects an escape from the pressures of being a man - not necessarily the breadwinner aspect but just the overall expectations that society has for an adult man. Of course this is a subjective rather than an actual burden, but that's how we work.

[Fab Karen]

by pushing a gender division, businesses make more money by selling two versions of things.

[Sharon michelle]

I think the common thread is that we all want to know why, and we will always follow a post along those lines. My theory is along the lines of Rockerterri's, gender is not as absolute as society defines it. I don't know what it means really but it seems to be a tidy explanation. I've never been relaxed while dressing.
Shari

[Angiemead12]

I crossdress for fun and for self expression. It started out as a fetish, now its just a lifestyle.

Im not stressed with being the bread winner!

[Kaz]

[QUOTE=docrobbysherry;2121062]I've read SO MANY posts here, where folks say dressing "relaxes" them. Which I DON'T GET!:eek: I find dressing exciting and stimulating!

I want to dress more when under stress.... no it doesn't relax, it sends me into another world... is this relaxation?

Right now, I am away from home in a hotel - I am dressed completely, make-up, nails, even posted a few dodgy pics,.... and I've been out for a "wander"...

I should be working on a shed load of stuff - I am stressed to hell work-wise... and I am sat here as Kaz thinking... chill... you'll sort it!

Hope this helps.... Me being Kaz tonight is actually going to cause me more stress... but the excitement of being Kaz is so strong... and tomorrow?

I am already working on a strategy that will enable me to wake up as Kaz, pack the car as Kaz, check out as Kaz, and drive back to where I need to be as Kaz... this is really occupying my mind... not teh work I need to deliver tomorrow

So... relaxation or diversion?

Love Kaz xx

Kaz xx

[Schatten Lupus]

To the one who asked, the book was published in 2006. And I wasn't thinking of the time that many do start cross dressing before they make money, so the theory, while the general stress reliefe may hold true for possibly over half it seems, the breadwinner idea, had they asked, probably wouldn't have made it to print. Or it's possible the author really didn't care since it didn't pertain to Frued, Behaviorism, Maslow, Erikson, and so on.

[eluuzion]

As for crossdressing, it said that cross dressing occurs more frequently in societies where men are the primary income makers.
My first question would be who is “it” that “said” “that”?
Is “it” a relative of “they”?
What “societies” are left but possibly the “gathering” nomads in parts of Africa and the higher mountains of Peru? So, it may be an “opinion” but in that context, it means nothing anyway.
, "which leaves researches to wonder if men sometimes cross dress to temporarily relieve the stress of being the breadwinner."
First of all, connecting those two parts of the sentence is what is called a “logical fallacy”. It assumes the first part is related to the second part without any factual evidence proving either part standing alone is factual, and certainly nothing to support a theory that a relationship exists between the two.
That is about as factual as me saying that the Wonder Bread corporation possibly inserted the words “wonder”, “bread” and “winner” together in a sentence as a subliminal message to get more consumers to buy their bread at the store…lol

It should be noted this is a 101 text book, so the only theories it goes into depth are the core theories, such as Psychoanalogy.
I have a degree in Psychology and I do not recall ever hearing of any “theory” called “Psychoanalogy.” Actually, I am not sure that it is even a proper word??

A psychoanalyst may take part in psychoanalysis.
Maybe that is what the textbook meant, “which leaves readers to “wonder” if men writing text books sometimes cross their definitions to temporarily relieve the stress of being the publisher of confusing printed matter.” lol

Anyway…
It may be natural behavior for a person to experience an increased craving for a “crutch”, or “vehicle” from a personalized list of specific behaviors they prefer to use when “stressed”. This list may contain smoking, using drugs, exercise, naps, turning off phones, meditation etc., and any peculiar behavior on their “list”. If cross-dressing is on an individual’s unique “list”, it “may” be a preferred choice for that person at “some” times.
Stress increases cravings for a way to lower stress. Even that statement is more opinion than fact.

“… and if anyone feels any stress relief from the social pressures of "being a man?"
Not in that context, no. Sometimes stress created from some situations I experience “while dressed as a man” may increase my desire to cross-dress.
But it is not motivated by any social pressure connected to “being a man”. I do not view CD as a vehicle for “stress relief”, nor does it provide any “relief from stress” for me.

nothing disrespectful intended,
just my thoughts...:love:

[Karinsamatha]

I feel as if I have a sense of mental balance when dressed, that I don't have when in drab. So yes it is a stress release - but something I believe I would be doing even if there was no day to day stress. As I have said before Karin is very much a part of who I am, something I would not change even if I could.

:drink:

[Karen564]

These are just a few of my thoughts on it...some may or not agree, but it doesn't really matter either way..

I do believe stress could be a component, But only One part of it....

Stress will build over time, and is not always instantanious....so just because someone has one stressful day doesn't mean they will go straight for the closet after they get home...for some it takes time over a period of many stressful days..

And then another component of it are all the triggers that can set it all off (which are usually visual) once the stress is in place, then Bam, they cant get to their stash fast enough...

As far as the bread winner thing, that's just one common example what can cause stress...so I really wouldn't take it that literly....it's a bit more complicated than that...

But it's not only adults that have stress, because there are many children that can experience certain levels of stress even at 2 years old...any parents here that lived through their child's terrible 2's before? well, it's not only the parents that are stressed out...

But I do believe, that for most here, but not all, it's something their born with biologically that they have no control over that makes them resort to these behavior changes under some sort of mechanism induced by an outside factor.

Reminds me of some basics of human biology & behavior, as in, Humans like to do things that bring them pleasure in one form or another..

But either way, when they find something that makes them feel good, no matter what it is, even if it's only for a very short time, they will be bound to do it again & again, because what happened was the brain sent a signal to various glands to release many chemicals & hormones that make you feel good...so this does not necessarily have to be a voluntary response, (if your getting my drift so far) because the body sends signals to the brain & vice versa if it senses the need to relieve the stress the body or brain are under and knows what to do in order to feel better..and it's the way the mind protects itself from harm.

Just like when the body tells you when your severely injured, if it wasn't for those nerves sending signals to the brain, you could unknowing make your injury worse or bleed to death if you felt no pain or if the brain didn't know how to interpret that information as a bad thing, but it does know, and then sends signals back to your various vital body systems as a self defense mechanism, such as constricting arteries, kicking in the immune & glandular systems by releasing fluids, chemicals & blood cells directions to the site of the injury, plus a multitude of many defenses all going on all automaticaly..all while your saying " Oh Sh*T, F***, Help.....lol

But little does the body know that CDing could cause it harm by getting beat up by someone that doesn't like the way you dress...but when the human body 1st came to be, they didn't have any clothes to worry about......lol

:drink:

[theresa]

I think there may be different reasons why we dress the way we do. In my case the earliest I remember around age 5 was wanting to wear girls clothes. I dont imagine I was stressed by being a boy, or a breadwinner, or anything like that. However, I do remember that girls seemed to get more attention and had more fun and maybe I wanted in on that action. It's probably still true.

[Schatten Lupus]

A psychoanalyst may take part in psychoanalysis.
Yes, I meant psychoanalysis.

[~Michelle~]

How many started with crossdressing after becoming a breadwinner? Indeed, not a whole lot, so I sincerly doubt the qualifications of these so called "researchers".

[Satrana]

As for crossdressing, it said that cross dressing occurs more frequently in societies where men are the primary income makers.

Eh? In every society men are usually the primary income makers. However in the West with greater gender equality where many women now equal or exceed their partner's income we should be witnessing a decrease in CDing. As far as I can see it is the opposite and there is actually an increase in CDing in the West.

I think since gender is a social construct, the amount of CDing in societies is actually related to how stylized and idealistic femininity is displayed. The more femininity is a marketed product, the more boys will believe that they can consume the product for themselves to obtain the benefits. If one of those benefits is an escape from male burdens and responsibilities then that makes sense as a benefit in later life.

How much CDing goes on in say Eskimo society where men and women are wrapped head to toe in practical clothing? I would be willing to bet that CDing is negligible in these societies. Or how much CDing takes place in Bushmen societies where clothing is minimal? Basically the more practical women lives are, the less they look and behave differently from men, the less CDing will occur.

[Frédérique]

"which leaves researches to wonder if men sometimes cross dress to temporarily relieve the stress of being the breadwinner." I am just curious as to what people think of the bolded part, and if anyone feels any stress relief from the social pressures of "being a man?"

Well, I’m not a breadwinner by any stretch of the imagination, :doh: so there goes that theory (out the window, I believe). I don’t dress to relieve stress, either, in fact I can’t wear my femme clothes when I’m stressed out or worried about something. I associate crossdressing with mental and physical calm – one leads to the other, and then I put on my “uniform.” One theory I’ve heard (and subscribe to) is that people in the field of technology, i.e. rather intelligent individuals, have more of a tendency to crossdress for some strange reason. I came to the conclusion you have to be smart to be a crossdresser (my theory), but let’s not get into a discussion about what “smart” means to different people. BTW, I’m not in the field of high-tech – I’m a sensualist. Glad to meet you! :)

I need to tell you that “being a man” is very stressful, so I avoid the problem completely…:battingeyelashes:

[Schatten Lupus]

I do think that the text may have ment in industrialized nations, not only because as others pointed out there are very few cultures were men aren't the breadwinners, but all other cultural differences this book mentions are compairing industrialized to non-industrialized nations. Now when I get to take the full class on human sexuality and gender and it's that vague, then I might have to ask the publisher and author what they hell they were thinking.

[RobynP]

As for crossdressing, it said that cross dressing occurs more frequently in societies where men are the primary income makers, "which leaves researches to wonder if men sometimes cross dress to temporarily relieve the stress of being the breadwinner." ... I am just curious as to what people think of the bolded part, and if anyone feels any stress relief from the social pressures of "being a man?"

First, I have to agree with many of the other people who stated that their crossdressing started much earlier than the age of becoming the "primary income maker"... If the person that wrote the book looked at any of the research that has been done on the age when men start crossdressing, they would have seen how this "theory" does not fit very well with reality. This theory seems to imply that men might start crossdressing because there is too much stress at work...

As far as stress relief of "being a man"... There are many, many different ways of relieving stress. And many of them are a lot less expensive and less time consuming than crossdressing and probably a whole lot more effective...

Robyn