Discovery Channel - The Human Sexes (1997)

In THE HUMAN SEXES Desmond Morris, international bestselling author of The Naked Ape and Manwatching, looks at the difference between men and women and investigates how their roles have changed since primitive times. In this series a famous behaviorist shares his original and often startling take on human nature, gender roles, and the equality between men and women that appears our ancestral cultures. The series looks at the relationships between the sexes through history emphasizing cultural practices and rituals rather than biological differences.
His research indicates that, contrary to popular belief, our ancient ancestors practised a form of sexual equality and that it was only with the rise of urbanization that the delicate balance of the sexes was disturbed. In many cultures this imbalance has resulted in the exploitation and suppression of women as inferior. In many cultures, including our own, women are still struggling to overcome the legacy of prejudice, both male and female.
The biological differences between the sexes have been greatly exaggerated and Desmond Morris explores the hundreds of bizarre and often cruel human rites of passage which have been used to underline gender differences and rituals that people undergo to attract mates – from body piercing to tattooing. He turns his highly trained zoological eye on the differences in men and women, comparing different aspects of male and female biology and behaviour.
Explore the human sexes and how we interact with each other. From issues such as monogamy, emotional equality, and love, take a detailed look at the human persona as never seen before.
Desmond Morris wrote and presented THE HUMAN SEXES for The Learning Channel, six one-hour television programmes on the relationship between men and women examining the sexuality of humanity through biology, psychology and culture. Provocative and original THE HUMAN SEXES is a challenging look at the world's most fascinating debate. The series was nominated for Primetime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Non-fiction Series.

Produced by Partridge Films for The Learning Channel

Part 1: Different But Equal
Will boys always be boys and girls always be girls? Will we ever really understand each other? You may be shocked by your conclusions.
Prepare yourself for an intimate, erotic examination of physical differences between the sexes, from body fat to brain power. See Turkish men demonstrate their suitability as mates by wrestling in olive oil. Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where women bare their breasts to entice men to reward them with strings of beads. Observe women who flaunt their femininity as exotic dancers, and female body builders who develop their muscles to the point of masculinity. Examine brain scans that show that men and women even think differently about the same problems.
'Different But Equal' explores whether the amazing differences between men and women are based on biology or history.

Part 2: The Language of the Sexes
How does boy meet girl? Is finding a mate ever easy? How do you send out a signal that you're available? There are as many ways to speak the Language Of The Sexes as there are cultures.
The Japanese build shrines to the male phallus. Many Muslim women live behind veils. Ethiopian tribeswomen enlarge their lips with ceramic plates, and some Chinese used to crush women's feet to keep them tiny and delicate. Compare all this to America, where women practice gender amplification with silicone breast implants, collagen lip injections and tight high heels.
It's easy to see why the Language Of The Sexes is so hard to understand.

Part 3: Patterns of Love
How far would you go for love? How far would you go for love? Get ready to be amazed as you see people go further than you ever thought possible.
Patterns Of Love will take you to a brothel in Nevada, love hotels for married adults in Japan and a bachelor auction in Alaska. You'll meet pop star Mongo Faya of Cameroon… and his 58 wives. Visit Istanbul's Topkapi Palace where the Sultans keep harems of hundreds of wives. Fly to Moscow with a group of American men hoping to bring home just one wife. And check out technology's answer to a troubled marriage: an automatic divorce machine that accepts all major credit cards.
Patterns Of Love may change your definition of love.

Part 4: Passages of Life
Does society treat men and women differently? You may not like the unsettling answers you'll find in Passages Of Life.
Compare the way different cultures deal with boys and girls as they grow up. Some believe male circumcision began as an ancient Egyptian snake worship ritual to ensure immortality. In the Middle East, puberty brings a girl her first veil; in Yemen, a boy his first grown-up dagger. Watch young women turned into ladies at an etiquette school in England, and young men turned into killers by the US Marine Corps. Witness a marriage celebration in a small Greek village - where a dowry still makes a difference.
Passages Of Life might make you feel better about growing up… or worse.

Part 5: The Maternal Dilemma
In today's world' is it tougher to be a mother… or a father? Will it ever be possible to balance work and motherhood? No matter what you currently believe, The Maternal Dilemma will surprise you with new insight.
See working mothers in Japan and England who leave their children in day-care centers. Discover the 'granny solution' in Greece. Explore the 'paternal solution' with stay-at-home fathers in America. Have dinner with a man from Utah who has several wives: some have children while others pursue careers. Compare women who work in fields with babies at their side, to Western women trying to balance kids with a career.
It'll soon become clear that The Maternal Dilemma is something everybody shares.

Part 6: The Gender Wars
Do you know what side of the Battle Of The Sexes you're on? You might be stunned by this eye-opening look at the recent struggle for equality between the sexes.
Originally, there was a primitive balance between the sexes, but when people left the village for the city, the natural balance disappeared. Find out the origins of honeymoons and other tools of male dominance like wedding rings and female circumcision. Travel to Finland for the annual wife-carrying contest celebrating the capture of women from other villages. follow the rise of feminism, from turn-of-the-century suffragettes to the National Organization for Women. Visit the front lines of the gender wars with female stock traders and female firefighters who parachute into blazing California forests.
Pay attention: what you learn here may just help you survive The Gender Wars.