Does parity between sexes exist on Vulcan? My first answer would be "Insufficient data!" but not even Spock ever managed to get away that easy. Captain Kirk was always demanding that Spock at least try a guess.

Very well, my guess is that females rule Vulcan society and males find it frustrating; although males never would publicly recognize such an illogical emotion like frustration.

Females' predominance is quite evident. On Vulcan, almost all persons seen bearing some authority are women. T'Pau, the stern Oldest Mother, presides at Spock's unlucky wedding and is introduced as the highest Vulcan authority. T'Sai, mistress of Kolinhar, seems to be decidedly in charge even though she is escorted by two male aides. Everyone reverently bows to T'Lai, the High Priestess who performed Fal-tor-pan. A woman is in charge of the mythical Science Academy and, here and there, other Vulcan females are seen pursuing various careers.

Men are not completely without power and honor (just think about Sarek), but they seem to be a sheer minority and often are topped by some female colleagues.

It is true that some ancient Vulcan rituals show ugly similarities with some of the most hateful kinds of male abuse in Earth’s history, but it is just a show. When T'Pring demands the kal-if-fee, the ritual combat, T'Pau asks her: "Thee are prepared to become the property of the victor?" she answers "I am," but that's just a formality. In truth, it is quite clear that T’Pring has no intention to be anybody's property. Actually, she's the one who holds all the involved men's destinies in her hands. She has power of life and death and uses it with icy determination. Nobody, T'Pau, with all her authority, Spock, who might have some right to claim, or Stonn, who would have good reasons to run away, dares to argue about the rightness of her behavior.

Men endure all of that with logical patience. Quite likely, even Surak had at home his own Xanthippe, who affectionately helped him to test his theories of peace! Anyway, every time they can, men sneak off. For one thing, while nature made males tragically dependent from their lifemates' willingness, it also allows males to ignore their lifemate’s existence for seven whole years, a circumstance that must fill them of understandable satisfaction.

Sarek, among all the Vulcans we know, seems to be the only male to have earned a position of power. He does not show any regret for his high placed first wife, who discharged him to pursue higher goals. On the contrary, glad for his regained freedom, he managed to keep it in safe in the hands of more accommodating alien wives. Amanda even allows him to show prepotency in public. When Captain Kirk wonders about it, she justifies him in a lenient tone: "He's a Vulcan!" as if she were saying: "Let's allow him an outlet, poor man!" Perrin treats him like the old dotard he has become, but doesn't take him to task, as an efficient Vulcan wife would quite likely do.

Spock, after he somehow managed to put a galaxy between himself and his ex, seems to have retreated to a peaceful misogyny, with a few ambiguous temptations and several attractive women eager to help, should some urgent need arise.

Nevertheless, it is Spock, who shows the most evident signs of male frustration, by allowing himself some chauvinist lines, now and then. Such as when he turns to Janice Rand, who was almost raped by the evil Kirk half, saying something like: "You did prefer the Captain before his return to normal, didn't you, Yeomen?" A rough - and wholly uncalled for - line, that sounds even more callused, since it was said to somebody, who can't respond to him with the answer he would deserved because of her lower level position. Or as when Spock calls possessive jealousy "male logic", thus showing a quite interesting idea about what logic is. And then, he manages to be deceived by Valeris, who uses the most ancient and tested means of charming in the Universe. But since Spock is quite an unusual subject, we can't really tell whether these weaknesses are due to the fact he is Vulcan male or to other cultural influences he has experienced.

Anyway, even if Vulcan males are not confined to housework or to pleasure arts, they do not seem to be on an equal terms with Vulcan females. We just hope that contacts with different people and different customs, along with the role models portrayed by the few that succeed, will help them to find logical ground to claim their rights to equal dignity and opportunities.