I don't think that you can put gender into such a narrow box, and make such a generalization that either men or women are the 'weakest' sex, or that men are takers and women are givers. That is not how I view it at all. Some women are stronger in some characteristics than others. The same is true for men. There are men who are physically strong, and some of them might be abusive to women, but that can also be said about some women. I have known women who have physically abused their husbands, so in those instances, which one is the weaker sex?
The last time I was sick with the flu, it was the swine flu. I worked every single day that I was ill. I didn't want to work...I wanted to stay home in bed, but I had some work for the first time in several months, and I had to get it done. So I forced myself to do it. People sometimes feel a need to be 'mothered'. In other words, as an adult, they want someone to take care of them when they don't feel well, so they want 'mothered'. What does that say about a woman being stronger than a man when it comes to being or feeling sick? Sometimes a person does what they do because of circumstances.
I don't categorize a person as either strong or weak based upon their gender. I base it more upon their behavior. I think the same can be said as to whether they are givers or takers. It is based upon their character and upon their actions.