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[trog.livejournal.com]

Comments

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

It's true that there are gender norms about sitting with your legs apart.

I can also believe it's true that personal space is more guarded amongst men. Both male-male and male-female touch is quite fraught socially, whilst female-female touch seems to be relatively relaxed.

So, all in all, the idea that 'men take up more space' seems true to the extent of 'sitting with your legs further apart', various body posture issues and perhaps spreading themselves more evenly across a room.

However, trying to claim more than one seat on a train is something that both sexes definitely do. The trick of sitting on an outside seat or putting your bag on a seat seems to be done as much if not more by women than men.

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

I agree that men take up "more" space, but it's not necessarily "a lot" of space as the comic indicates. And taking up space isn't the primary goal, unless there's some weird "alpha" competition going on. It's more a side effect of wanting to be comfortable.

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

I don't buy the comfort issue.

However, I agree that it's not a significant amount of space in most instances.

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

You're wrong, but okay.

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

I'm male, so it's not purely basis speculation.

Variation between individual men's ballsacks leading to different sitting preferences should probably not be dismissed outright, but I consider it unlikely.

Instead, I think it more likely originates from various arbitrary gender norms about how to sit. Boys don't get told off for sitting immodestly, I don't know how much cultural spread this has, but I remember it being one of those ridiculous norms that crossing your legs at the lap was girly, so instead boys should cross their legs with their lower leg resting on the other (thus taking up much more space)

As said, the idea that this is based on anatomy seems dubious. Plenty of men are fully capable of sitting in a more 'modest' position that takes up less space. Plenty of men already do this. Meanwhile, there's no reason why women couldn't splay their legs, except social convention.

"First, this idea that these men have "no choice" but to sit with their legs splayed, dominating-alpha-style. The justifications I've seen range from the differences of the male pelvis, and the threat of overheated sperm, to having their "stuff outside" and not wanting to put their "junk in a vice". Then there is size, nature having been so over-generous in its provision that the men are unable to sit normally on public transport. Judging by the number of men who manage to sit perfectly normally, there seems to be a modicum of delusional bragging going on here.

This isn't about bodies. You don't see women with large breasts flopping them over seats or people's shoulders, saying: "Sorry, this junk's outside – I'm going to need some of your space!" Nor do women sit with their legs splayed, crying: "Ever heard of thrush and cystitis? I've got to cool this baby down!" If women don't ask for special consideration for their physique on public transport, why should men? It doesn't make sense. Then again, when it comes to zoning, maybe it does."

The real reason men should keep their legs together (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/22/men-legs-splayed-on-train)