Why Aren't Women Funny?

Perhaps it IS cultural--but in my family (where the girls outnumbered the boys 5-2) everybody is funny; most holidays we spend more time laughing at each others' wit than eating (and we eat a lot!). My dad's late sisters were a riot to be around (he had 3, and no brothers) and my nieces and nephews are also carrying on the family tradition of trying to see who can dead-pan the best repartee. And it's not that there are no women bloggers who say funny things, it's that more male bloggers seem to devote a larger percentage of their blogging to humor...

I agree that men are funnier, but I think that women are more fun.

Susie's situation sounds then like a female-dominated environment, which may have lended itself to a more female-type humor. Still, consider professional female comedians, who aren't funny in general.

As you you, irishlass... I see your point. I think that girls can certainly be more fun to be around than boys, but I wonder if that's because of my hormones?

It bothers me that I agree with you, but I think I do.

As an aside, I don't think being funny is about being able to tell good jokes, though - I think it's defined by being able to grasp what's humorous about a situation and provide that out loud (hopefully in an eloquent manner) for others to share your humor.

hln

I like Brett Butler (of Grace Under Fire fame), but then again she's not the model of femininity. That's about the only one I can think of.

Humor is more often than not about pratfalls suffered by others. In that sense, it's cruel. The female psyche tends to reject even low-level cruelty as antithetical to its uppermost drives: to nurture and protect the weak and wounded.

For a decent person to appreciate humor, he must be able to separate the pain from the incongruities. It's the incongruities we're supposed to laugh at, which is why sex is the funniest subject. This is simply easier for men, for whom pain is a regular, expected part of life, and who are expected to "suck it up and soldier on," without complaint and without being buttressed by a support circle, even when they're hurting unto death.

Of course, a big part of the reason men's lives are pain-filled is...but perhaps we shouldn't go there.

Sarah Silverman is one of my favorite stand-up comics because she disregards the usual "PC" boundries. I also generally like Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd" (again, very non-PC). On their 1.5 hour stand-up special on friday(?), out of half a dozen or so performers, the only woman in it was (IMO) the least funny. However, the "ugly sweater" guy, as Colin Quinn refered to him was a close second.

I think Francis has nailed it.

Don't forget that women are generally more sensitive, and much of humor is self depricating (see Francis above). Just take note of who is the butt of the joke in EVERY TV commercial. The stupid man, of course. Women are just too serious in a larger social context. I must say I laugh hardest when I'm one-on-one with any of my girlfriends, but none of that comedy would work in a larger social context. I loved Ellen Degeneres's stand up and early TV show, but there you go again with the non-feminine female.

So to sum:
Women = too serious (read moody)
Men = self depricating (see Francis above for why)

-L

I agreee with a lot of this but I have to say that I think Carol Burnett is one of the funniest people I've ever watched. I also think that the sign of a truly funny person is someone who can make you laugh without swearing and talking about sex all of the time. I hate watching female comedians who have foul mouths. It seems more crass coming from a woman.

While I completely agree with Francis P.'s assessment of why women are usually not funny, I followed the link of the "funny folk" per Susie and found them generally not all that funny.

The blogosphere has a gaping black hole when it comes to great humor.

Think about it. You're tired of reading all the analysis, the serious commentary, the thought provoking posts. Brain in serious overload, YMMV, you look for a light, laugh-out-loud moment to end the day, cheer the spirit. Where do you go??

After scanning ScrappleFace and Ship of Fools' "Gadgets for God", I'm done. While bloggers might slip in an occasional chuckle, I've yet to find a seriously funny site.

(Disclaimer: Yes, I am a girl. I spent so much quality time with my father that I find male humor hilarious. My mother's tried to disown me because of my humor defects. My husband says I'm a man 3 weeks outta 4.)

I also agree with jonag. Women commediannes seem to want to prove they can be just as edgy as men and they miss the joke entirely and merely end up being foul and/or vulgar.

Some bloggers are amusing, but I agree that there aren't any that make me laugh all the time. But then, there isn't much that makes me laugh all the time. Even The Simpsons is only 50/50.

Frank J at imao.us is a funny blogger.

Personally, I feel that women suffer from a complete lack of cleverness and originality. Nobody finds "old" jokes all that funny and so there is a pressure to be fresh with ones wit in order for it to be successful. THIS is a major problem for most women I think. Throughout my 22 years, I can count the number of women that actually could think for themselves on one hand . . .well, maybe two.

Kevin Golden - have you got laid recently? Cos I'm willing to bet you haven't. Can't think why. I'm at Cambridge University surrounded by some of the brightest women in the world who are, shock horror, thinking for themselves and, wait for it.. often outperforming men. Strange. Maybe you should join the real world sometime instead of living in 1854?

Amy: Not to align myself with KG's comments, but a University is hardly the "real world".

I think that men are funnier in a sense. But women however, if funny, are limited to material. I often see women fall under the use of material of the same things such as talking about their: periods, their weight, and their boobs. It grows tiresome.

When I see a woman comedian... I think "uh oh, I hope she's good"

But there are so very few women comedians to judge the whole group by.

As for men, there are several men out there, and ive seen a good number of men who were not funny, ever go to open mic clubs?

Men... they can recycle material and it never get's old, like for example, the subject of the penis.... A man can say "fuck, shit, whore" and there's some one bound to laugh. But when a woman says it... it's a different story. She's probably pmsing.

Sometimes, I wish I where a man.

Question is, does she rate the male-bloggers higher because she knows they are male? or did she come to that conclusion after the fact? Like if you already have it set in your mind that women arn't funny, subconciously you're more likely to rate them as being less funny. I wonder what would happen if a Female wrote a blog "posing" as a male. would the fact that everyone assumes the writer is a guy make any difference in how they are rated?

In the UK we have quite a few comediennes (French & Saunders, and some other channel 4 stuff which I can't remember...), But is that because we are more funny in general? :)

I think humour is probably a self defence mechanism for men, a way of guarding the ego and also drawing attention to ourselves in social situations for a sense of camaraderie.



Women are different. They are more sensitive and, I believe, less in need of the humour barrier and in less need of drawing attention to themselves in this way. Women (and yes, this is a gross generalisation) will share feelings to make friends, and will generally draw attention to themselves by their clothing, make-up and appearance in social situations.



Another aspect to this is that women (again, generalising) are attracted to men with a good sense of humour. Men, on the otherhand, will look for a good looking woman. Who was it that said men love with their eyes, and women with their ears, again? Perhaps good humour in men is a built-in mating ritual. (And yet, saying that, finding a woman with a really good sense of humour is one of the most appealing things there is.)



I once read something that ties into the sexual aspect, which went along the lines that women's humour tends to be more along the lines of amusing stories (where the journey, or telling of the story is humourous), whereas men's tended to be more of a punchline nature. Obviously this was meant to mirror the sexual experience, where women are enjoying the foreplay and men the final moment of climax. To be honest, I'm not sure how well this theory really stands up.



As a little aside, I think women are more likely to laugh at men's jokes when they're attracted to them. I don't think the same really works in reverse. This could be a sign that, when flirting, women are exaggerating the natural order of things (ie. men being funny to attract attention, and being atracted to women who find them funny - probably partly because it relaxes them when they think they're ego-barrier is keeping them safe.)



Much as I enjoy female company, I'm wracking my brains to think of girls I know who are genuinely funny. I know I'll spend a lot of time smiling and enjoying conversations with them, but very very few can quip out with a comment that will have me laughing out loud. Even if I like a girl, I'll find it hard to laugh at a joke that just isn't that funny. My male friends, however, will often have tears streaming down my cheeks, whether we're chatting in the pub, they're performing on stage or just while we're walking down the street.



When it comes to stand-up comedy, there may be a further aspect to why women comediennes seem less funny. Put a funny guy on stage and women will fancy him and men will respect him. Does that apply to women? Women seem to like female comediennes more than men do (from what I can tell) - I guess men might just feel sorry for them... it's hard to laugh at someone on stage who's generally less funny than your mate down the pub.



I'd love to conclude all these ramblings, but I'm still at a loss as to why all this should be the case. I guess women just dont' need to be as funny as men.

AP: I think you might be onto something with the "humor as ego defense" theory. I know that's how I use it!

Well, I have to say, from reading the above comments, that I must be a woman. Perhaps I'm in the silent minority here, but I've never had a niche for being clever. Yes, I've tried and usually fail miserably. That, in and of itself, doesn't bother me - what does, is how much -emphasis- is placed on a man being funny in Western society.

Throughout my life, at the young age of 35, I've found time and time again that you can be successful, wealthy, poor, nice, polite, ok looking - none of it matters if you can't crack a joke.

I guess, to me, if I wanted to be a comedian, I would've been one. Personally, I meet too many people who think they're funny but don't realise that they're not. Especially when the humour relies on belittling other people.

I'm sorry if this is a bit off-topic, but I thought it might be of interest to others who have the oft-misleading idea that all men are born funny.

Ellis: Thanks for the comment, what an interesting perspective. I'm going to write a post about it!

I happen to know as many "funny" women as I do men.

When I'm one-on-one with my girlfriends, we crack eachother up so much and joke about the same stuff men joke about with eachother (it can get pretty gross sometimes!) But once we are with men, we act like little serious angels. How about that?

I know and am around a lot of funny women all the time, in fact I fancy myself to be a funny woman.

I am not typically beautiful, I struggle with my weight and am not a delicate flower... no I'm not Bela Lugosi either but I am funny and smart...guess what... men are generally NOT attracted to funny and smart!

I grew up with 4 brothers, know sports, I'm in IT and very handy with tools, well that and a token will get me on a bus. If I had a nickel for every girlfriend's advice to "stop being a wisenheimer" or " why don't you act dumb" or my favorite "you need to be a little more like Penelope Pitstop, damsel in distress tied to the railroad tracks waiting for your hero in order to get a man"---well let's just say I would be able to buy the town of Mumbai and a zillion Indians would be spamming my blog to increase my traffic and make me a popular blogger.

Oh, and I would probably be sore from all the sex!

Bottom line is that women can and are funny. Guys just don't generally like or appreciate funny females. Including you Michael. Mike, if I can be so bold...you need to widen your horizons. It is sexism and misogynistic to believe that we are not funny.

Ellen, Roseanne, Lucy, Joan, Carol Burnett, Laura Kightlinger, Elaine Boosler, Wendy Liebman, Rita Rudner, Susie Essman, Jane Kaczmarek, The Ab Fab gang and many many more including myself are FUNNY women!

What you haven't noted is that women are programmed by their "fathers and fathers fathers" as little girls to laugh at mens inferior juvenile humor when we do NOT think they are funny at ALL. Men tell tell jokes mostly at womens expense which are only funny to men (because they hate/envy women too - like you) I'm sorry that in life, women didn't find you funny (found you boring instead) and they think you're a retard. It sounds like a bunch of moron women and men brought you up so of course you wouldn't be exposed to anyone that had anything to offer because they certainly wouldn't have anything to do with you. Good heavens knows it certainly burns your ass when women like Margret Cho murder crowds all over the country.
I suggest shock treatment and a sex change maybe you won't be so venmous. Thanks. Bye bish.

Men make jokes to undercut themselves and to avoid taking anything seriously. women take everything seriously and make jokes to undercut other women / men who don't liike them.

It's just weird how unfunny women are.

In general women are not funny. There might be a one or two out their that are funneir than Jay Leno but that really is'nt sayin very much.

Why do we want women be like men all the time? Why do we ask: Why aren't women as funny as men, as clever as men, as tough as men, as active as men, as successful as men...? Why do we have to compare women against men to establish their worth? It seems to me like we still do not value women's unique qualities enough that they need to be doing the same things men do to be good enough. Why don't we hear about men fighting for acknowledgement that they can be as beautiful as women, as sensitive as women, as sexy as women, as attentive as women, as nurturing as women...? And why do people call women "not very clever" or "doesn't think for themselves" simply because they don't tell good jokes?(I'm skipping issues like who determine what's funny, and whether or not it is true that women can't tell good jokes)And even if it is "in fact" that women are dumb, what makes it such a problem? As I recall Ellis's comment, he's not bother by not being a clever comedian. It also reminds me of video chips I saw on the internet in which guys slam themselves into moving trucks with their motorcycle. Tell me if that isn't dumb and but not being funny is. Yet those guys are so proud of their acts that they put it up onto the internet, open for appreciation. You gotta admire their ego. But please... let us be, in whatever form we are, we just want to be happy. we may laugh at a few jokes if that makes us happy. we may even try our hand on the art of telling jokes. If you don't like our jokes, that's ok. But please don't say we can't be funny or we're not very clever. you can never be sure.

hoihomojo: I completely agree. I wrote this post to ask why, not to denigrate women. I think your perspective is spot-on.

It seems that overall, women just arent as funny as men. This should not be taken as an insult, but as a citing of fundamental differences between the two genders. I believe that the environment each gender matures in causes their humor or lack thereof. While boys spend time watching acerbic cartoons and playing with their favorite simpsons toys, girls go shopping and play with american girl dolls that gives them their sensitivity and grace.

Boys may mature in an environment of high competitiveness and adventure, causing them to be more rude and to the point. after all, 75% of all humor is an insult or comedic attack. Conversely, girls grow up in a more gentle environment involving more prim and proper activities, in which they learn more tactful ways of expressing themselves.

While women may be hilarious to one another, their humor may not branch across gender, and are often less diverse than the comedy of a male. while a woman comedian may talk of shopping, childbirth, and her husbands love affair, topics like these do not relate to men, making the comedy trite and irrelevant to all males. A male comedian on the other hand may poke fun at more wide branching things such as race, income, sports, or life in general.

Even with all the in-depth analyzation we still reach the same conclusion: men remain funnier than women. However, i believe this comment is neither an insult nor sexism, but an example of how both women and men are fundamentally different.

As canadas fastest rising female commedian ( A self-imposed title)
I tend to agree with yer comment.
I like to teach women how to use powertools for sexual pleasure, How to fall a tree on yer neighbours car, cook a trout on the exhaust pipes of the motorcycle (I like mine done at 2000 rpm for 6 minutes) Subjects which both genders can enjoy...
When humor is directed at hurting someone i think it isnt funny.
When i can share something which has humbled me in the past, and can turn it around and share it, it takes a new shape and is transformed...It is still hard to find the Unibrow to be sexy though.
j

When I think of my most favorite comedians, indeed they all happen to be males. However, I disagree that males are funnier than females. I just believe that men are given more opportunities to be funny in movie roles and TV shows than women.

A lot of people, both male and female, probably agree that a movie like "Office Space" is a brilliant comedy, but Mike Judge wrote it from a male perspective and naturally, he lets the guys be the central characters and deliver the funniest lines while the female is added just to be a love interest and she has less of a comedic role (though Jennifer Aniston does have some good lines). "Romy & Michelle," on the other hand, is a retarded movie and it obviously wasn't written to be a comedy classic. Both Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow are more fashionista than comedienne and the movie just showcases them in skimpy little 80's outfits and throws in a few jokes in order to feign interest and plot.

I believe that the men on this board aren't trying to sound like jackasses when they say "women aren't as funny as men," they just truly think so and I agree to a point. Comedy is a self-depricating form of expression and women already endure enough deprecation and intimidation from mass media (being too fat/skinny, having too small or saggy boobs, being sex objects, etc.), so I think very few women want to pursue comedy and put themselves down more (yeah, we are sensitive). This results in a drought of well-known funny females and women can make it big just by being attractive (which is easier with make-up and clothing), so why bother with comedy?

Overall, plenty of women have a good sense of humor and can tolerate degrading female jokes, racially-charged jokes, political humor and even toilet humor. Like men, we enjoy being entertained. In order for something to be funny, it has to be smart, and female roles are rarely written to be intelligent and central; instead they are rigidly confined to be objects of desire.

Don't focus on the fact that women don't seem to be funny because that's not true, it's just that you don't hang out with the funny ones by choice because they intimidate you. By this point, you realize that you have a better chance of hooking up with a dumb girl because you don't worry about keeping up to pace with them and they make you feel good when you are seen with them. A smart, funny girl will steal your spotlight and make you feel insecure.

Liz: Nah, my wife is hilarious. She's very rare, however... most women just aren't funny. Besides, if funny women are plentiful then someone must be hanging out with them.

Michael,
Thanks for putting into words what I was thinking. I think Nancy (Oct 14) proves the point that women aren't funny. For one thing, you can't claim to be funny and then use the word 'misogynistic'...that automatically excludes you from being funny. And then to further demonstrate the point, you list the funniest women ever. I will admit that Ellen has her moments, but the rest of them aren't funny! Go back and watch and episode of Roseanne or I Love Lucy....they're terrible! You should just resign yourself to the fact that you aren't funny and probably can't ever be funny and focus on the things you can do well. I'd list them here, but that might be too 'misogynistic'.

Men are definitly much funnier then women...Better sense of humor, end of story. Maybe it's societal/cultural, or genetic, who knows, but men are definitly WAY funnier then woman...

Who's a hilarious female comedian? Like Willaims said, even the funniest woman don't come close to cracking the list of the funniest people of all time.

And Ellen Degeneres...she may be funny, but guess what, she's a lesbain! Lesbians have recently been proven to have brains that function closer to that of a heterosexual male then a heterosexual female. She's a man baby.

It was odd to find your article this evening entitled 'Why aren't women funny' as I had been debating this exact topic myself?

Whilst going for a big crap-I mention the big crap, not because it's funny as clearly it's mostly crude and base but because it's genuinely what I was doing and because I'd like to highlight by the mere mention of the word crap one of the many areas that it's harder for women to engage in with any comic success than their male counterpart. Of Course I can say crap, but then I’d be like Jenny Eclair (an absolutely brilliant stand up but not my cup of tea) . Some men like her but many find her disgusting and scary. Jo Brand, She's funny isn't she? Well, actually more women seem to admire her incredible wit and perception than men do-most men I have come into contact pass her off as the fat old cow that just talks about cakes and being fat. This is far from true and anyone who has ever seen her live would be in no doubt about how funny and clever she is.

Anyway, there are many factors on this subject that colour the debate. As I said I had began the debate by myself this evening anyway, I was asking myself if I also felt deep down that women weren't that funny after all what women had I mentioned on my bog-none. I mention Ricky Gervais, Larry David, Bill Hicks, Woody Allen. Where was the Stephanie Hodge or Jennifer Saunders? What about Carroll Burnett or Joan Rivers? What about Sex in the City?

The thing is, I do find women funny, women are funny, but it's still new. Jews are good at comedy-why cause they have a history of using humour, it's acceptable in their culture to use humour to make light of the dark stuff, it's the same with Blacks and Irish and all those other apparently naturally funny guys. A history of humour in your culture is an important ingredient to the comedy the pie. I believe women's place in comedy is still developing, just as their right to vote has been. For men humour is rewarded by gaining admiration from other men and from women, for women in the past, showing off a humour by telling jokes or entering a repartee has often meant sacrificing sexual desirability -not all funny women want to be seen as ugly, which funny in women has often in the past seemed to be. And yes your being a man Michael will influence your preference for male comedy. I've written a book which I know is funny, I know it would make all my intelligent female friend laugh, but I'm doubtful it would interest a male readership. How is it women can find men funny as well as women? But men on the whole only find men funny? Does that not suggest that men find it harder to relate to something that does not directly relate to their own experience?

I also think it's probably true that women are funnier with just other women around and for that exact reason it suggests to me that change is still underway. 'Women are funny-it's a work in process'.

Guys are funnier not because they're wiser than women (which they're not). Actually, in my opinion, guys are funnier because of our physical appearance. It's as if we were created with a physical talent to act goofy with our deep goofy voice. I also do not understand why women hate it that guys use humor to cover drama. I think guys were made funnier and girls were made more dramatic. It may sound bad but actually its perfect, and its the reason why man and women belong together. Sometimes a guy may need a little drama to get him to stand on his toes, while a girl needs humor so that she doesn't stress so much.

The judge who put coded messages in his Da Vinci Code plagiarism trial ruling has written another...

I have surfed your site and read enough of your posts to make some conclusions.
You have some issues with latent homosexuality, your hostility to women and with anger in general.
At least you live in California where they take these things in stride and therapists abound (on a per capita basis).
As far as adding to the baggage with a concealable firearm, I have to side with the Chief and conclude that you are better off behind your keyboard.
See ya

Mike: Thanks for the psychoanalysis! When people don't like me it makes me so sad :.......(

I think someone may have touched on what has always struck me as the real reason for the concensus that men are funnier than women. First of all, I've thought this all my life, and it's posed it's difficulties. How do you relate to someone who thinks telling one of those punch-line-less anecdotes with a supposedly amusing ending about a woman at work is hysterically funny, when even the person telling it isn't laughing? I often asked myself, why do so many of the women I know, and date actually seem to harbor an antipathy toward hard, hearty laughter? Among many women (not all, or even close, but many) there does seem to be an actual impatience with, or resistance to laughter. How can this be in a world where existence is so often almost unbearable?
My thesis has always been, and still is, that men joke to protect the sensitive areas -- it's mostly a defense mechanism, a desperate twisting of reality to wring some amusement out of a life that is mostly about hard work, forced conformity, and a feeling of living a second rate existence when compared to the conditions of most women's lives. I hear everyone screaming already.
My girlfriends have, without exception, always found jobs and friends more easily. Women live 10% longer lives. They're one-half as likely to commit suicide. They're something like one-fifth as likely to become alchoholic. They wear whatever they please, whenever they please. They make human connections more readily. they are never thought of as sexual suspects, as are ALL males past the age of 14. Their maternal capacities are universally respected and honored. etc. In other words, despite feminst claims, I think the world women live in is far less unbearble than the kill-or-be-killed world of the male (ever think about the male-only draft? Circumcision? Coaches?) Women either don't bother to notice any of this, or discount it because it's not politically au courant. However -- when men laugh and joke it's the energy of near-madness that propels it. Trust me.
Also, I think Hitchens is right -- we do it to attract women. It's the male equivalent of being pretty. In an evolutionary way, it's kind of like saying, "Look at me! I am SO NOT FEMALE!!" just as a nice looking woman in a skirt is saying, "Look at me! I am SO NOT MALE!!" I also agree that women lose any remaining trace of humor around the topic of childbirth. Understandably. He puts it really well.

I don't think there's much value in making the essentialist statement that women aren't as funny as men. I once went to an improv show with a guy who groaned when an all-female group got up on stage, whispering that, to be honest, he knew that women couldn't be as funny as men. He retracted his statement at the end of the show after laughing quite a bit during the women's skit.

I'm a woman, and my favorite movies lately have been supposedly male-targeted comedies like Dodgeball and the 40-Year-Old Virgin. Many of my favorite comedians are male, but a lot of people who write about this subject forget one of the funniest people in television, ever, Lucille Ball.

Maybe we shouldn't be talking about women themselves but rather about society; maybe we should be asking: why is humor constructed as masculine? For me, a compelling argument to be made would be that society doesn't expect women to be funny. We don't hear stories about men being attracted to funny women because women are supposed to be pretty; they shouldn't need to rely on their wit, and in any case it supposedly wouldn't get them very far. Women aren't supposed to find toilet humor funny -- that would be unattractive (and they can't share their jokes about menstruation with men because men would find this horrifying beyond belief). Maybe we don't see that many women in movies and television being funny because humor by women isn't seen as seductive enough, and women, more so than men I would argue, are required to be seductive in order to be in movies or television.

So what's the reality? I can't make any all-encompassing statements about women in general, but I can tell you about me and my experiences: I laugh at everything (including stuff that women are supposed to think is gross), and I've been told that I'm pretty funny. My (very pretty) female roommate from my last year of college did the best impressions I've ever seen, and we spent the year laughing our asses off hanging out with each other.

I'm female but I simply do not "get" most other women, and they don't get me. I like to do funny accents and imitations (I'm pretty good at them), I'll do physical humor, I'll try to outwit any funny guy I know. Sadly, though, most people aren't expecting a woman to be funny. Guys get used to it and then really like it. Women, I have found, are simply confused by a woman who likes to quote from movies and imitate other people's walks. The response is silence. It's kinda creepy.

I've tried to bond with other women, but they only seem to want to talk about appearances and bad relationships. It's truly sad.

There are some interesting points being made here that lead me to conclude that indeed men are funnier... Having said that, this is generally fueled by mens desire to be funnier for the sake of being respected or attractive... Simple statements, but one that is born out of a mans need to be favoured.... I dont think this is a mans weakness, because to not be funny and a man, who notices?... Noone....

I think it is a turn on if women are funny, but that funniness has to be tempered with how funny the woman finds me.... Sex is deffinately involved, even if its merely passive... there is nothing shameful and weak in this, either from a male or female perspective... It merely is...

As woman myself,I totally agree with 'Ungirlie'. I have had the same experiences in expressing my stupid, possibly boyish, sense of humour with my own gender aswell. Women dont do zany, they comment on it... I love the humour of Monty Python/Goodies and that generation. Even Tim Brooke Taylor didnt want women in the Footlights at the time he was president!. Women have different strengths but they prefer the inane to wit. Its not that women cant be funny its just that they are too self concious of how they come across, plus they are much more likely to wee in a taxi then a man is and thats just not funny at all. The truth is shite but there ya go...

I really don't want to agree that men are funnier than women. It's like saying men are more intelligent. Though Christopher Hitchens makes some good points in his article: http://adamash.blogspot.com/2006/12/christopher-hitchens-explains-why.html

I think in order to be funny you have to think a little outside the box and make observations that other people don't necessarily make. Women, for whatever reason, genetic, social, or other, tend not to do that as much. On the other hand, women tend to make more observations about people's feelings.

One of the funniest people I know who makes me laugh all the time is a woman, but she's also lesbian. :)