Men who have grown up on playgrounds know how to deal with other men, and are always aware that if they go too far they might well end up in a physical fight.

Women, on the other hand, have never been in an environment where a physical fight is a realistic possibility. They therefore do not know how to interact in any situation where men are involved since they will push too far and the men will not know how to deal with such women since they will never resort to punching them out.

This is just the point Peterson makes. He can deal with what he describes as sane women, but really he is talking about dealing with women who will draw back before they enrage their male colleagues. But not all women will and not all women even understand there are these invisible limits they must not pass.

Which is why women are unlikely to rise in organisations to the same extent, since the “glass ceiling” exists because women do not know how to deal with men, and do not know when to fall back.

This is the point Peterson is trying to make although is too polite about how he goes about it. Since the answer is not to allow men to punch a woman in the midst of an argument, I am unsure how these limits can be understood by the women in a workplace environment.