Was testosterone responsible for the global financial woes?

Monday, 24th August 2009 14:13 - by Resident IFA

The prize for the most unrealistic activity of the weekend goes to…me! Why? Well, I have always wanted to play Football, but have never really been in the position to affiliate to a team. I have been self-employed for quite a while and, before that, worked in an environment with many middle-aged ladies. Add to this the fact that my friends are mostly sport-phobic or into Cricket (Another of my favourites), then you see why I haven’t had much luck in my modest ambition. Until yesterday… The Solicitor at a local business networking group recently stood up and asked for volunteers for his Sunday football team. Voila! So, in 30-degree heat and having never really played football before, I turned out for his team after having hurriedly visited my local shopping complex to buy the pre-requisite boots and shin-pads. Luckily, he was surprised by 19 players attending, which stopped my unfit misery at half-time! I didn’t disgrace myself at Right-Back and hope I get a few more run-outs in the near-future. The only galling part was our side having to wear a West Ham kit the ‘Gaffer’ had got from his mate…the less said the better! By-the-by, I was interested by one particular incident on the field of play. Not too far into the match, my team’s Centre-Back went up for the ball and was on the receiving end of an opponent’s elbow. They squared-up to each other, and then a team-mate of the other player ran over and pushed the Centre-Back to the ground. The original offender was sent off. But what was really eye-opening was that the match was a FRIENDLY. Even the two chap’s team-mates were shouting unappreciative comments at them for their stupidity. This finally brings me around to the ‘Testosterone’ reference in the Blog title. It struck me that, when you have lots of men in a competitive situation, all hell breaks loose! Take the recent market and economic woes. I have seen a few spots on TV News programmes along the lines of ‘Would this have happened with women at the helm?’ Add to this the recent carnage and constant moderation needed on lse.co.uk’s Regular Chat boards (I am guessing the clientele there being predominantly male), then you can see my point. I am not so sure that having women running most of the major economies and companies would have made a remarkable difference, as I have seen some aggressive women in business that I would not mess with! I do think, however, that men and women bring different qualities to the (Cabinet / Boardroom) table. Perhaps a more even-split (combination) of men and women in the upper echelons of Political and Business power would lead to more desirable outcomes? Generally, more calm thought, regardless of gender, would have stood the global economy in better stead over the last few years…UK Banks and Mortgage lenders being prime examples, unfortunately. Borrow 5 times your income, anyone?! What do you think? Until next time…