[jbay808]

> men and women are equal in terms of their ability to be communal… but are they?

Even if the two populations aren't equal on average, undoubtedly some men are more communal, and some women are less so. You can't do comparisons on populations as though they were individuals!

But with a stereotype that becomes a norm, even especially-communal men, married to especially-non-communal women, will be pressured into not taking parental leave because people think the wife should do it. That pressure could include, for example, harsher career consequences than a woman would face for taking parental leave. And that's neither good nor fair.

So stereotypes are dangerous, even when they're accurate. (Which this one might not even be!)