I doubt very much if Petra is thinking of my writing, but I've done one
novel plus a bunch of stories about the HWARHATH, a humanoid species where
the women are taller and heavier than the men. I did this in order to explain
why the HWARHATH women were able to control reproduction.
I suspect that male dominance originated early in human history and derives
from the kind of size dominance hierarchies that seem typical of many
mammalian societies. I also suspect that male dominance now is cultural.
Anyway, I think control of reproduction is THE big issue between men and
women; and I wanted to create a society where women had absolute say in this
area. But why did they have absolute say? Because -- like female hyenas --
they were larger than the males.
Anyway, my novel -- translated into Russian, Italian and Spanish but not
German -- is RING OF SWORDS.
I just asked Patrick if he had ever felt at a disadvantage because of his
size. He said, "Only in one area. I can't buy pants off the rack. But I've
never thought, gee, if only I were eight inches taller; if only I could play
basketball. I'm a good size. I don't take up space. I'm energy efficient."
When size comes up as an issue in this culture, it's a front for sexism and
class prejudice, since size is related to nutrition; and sometimes it's a
front for racism, since people from different backgrounds vary in size. All
three of these -- I agree -- are real problems.
All best, Eleanor A.
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