Men are finished! Save the males :)

So, the Intelligence Squared debate on whether men have lost out in the battle between the sexes ended yesterday :

After hearing the arguments, the audience made its final decision. With 66 percent voting in favor of and 29 percent against the motion, and 5 percent remaining undecided, the majority of the audience agreed that men "really are finished."

Before the debate began, as is customary in this format, the audience was polled about this, and "22 percent of the audience voted for the notion, 54 percent against and 26 percent said they were undecided."  That is some serious swaying of the audience then!

Of course, these debates are not to establish the ultimate proofs for either side, as much as they are to help us think through some of the pressing issues of the day.  The difference in opportunities and performance of males and females is one of those, and one which has significant implications for social policies too.

The debate hasn't ended by any means.  Well, maybe it is the beginning of the end ... of males :)