Estraven and Genly

I guess by now we know that they are pretty good friends now. I find the last part of ch 16 pretty interesting when they were talking about women. Genly said that the most important aspect of life is what sex you were born into. That's interesting, and I think it is true. Society has very different expectations and opinions about men and women. From the moment we were born, we were affected by society and our environment and change. Our parents raised us the way they thought a boy or a girl should be raised. Do I think men and women will truely be equal? no. Do I think people will gradually grow to be more equal? yes. The way that society thinks about men and women will change little by little up to a certain point. Another point I want to make is what is wrong with Genly. He hasn't seen or talked or been with a woman in years, including his time jumps, assuming that all of the other members on the ship were frozen before the trip. Yet, he does not feel lonely or anything. How does Estraven think getting into Karhide would help Genly, with Tibe at the side of the king, wouldn't he try to silence Genly too, to keep his power? From what I could see, Tibe has much more risk than the Sarf in Orgoreyn. With Tibe, he has to answer to the King. If the king changed his mind, Tibe cannot do anything, while the Sarf has absolute power, and nothing can stop them from harming Genly, so the Sarf is a little more relaxed about matters regarding Genly. If I was Tibe, however, I would fear that Genly could persuade the king and it could be very disasterous for Tibe. If I was Tibe, I would kill Genly right away, to protect myself, for the longer Genly lives in Karhide, the higher the chance for an alliance and the higher the risk for Tibe