JustCallMeNick
Member
Are there innate differences between men and women? If so, what are they?
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Battle of Sexes?
- Thread starter JustCallMeNick
- Start date
Curious George
Veteran Member
That is a trick question. There are statistical differences but these should not be generalized to individual cases.
Some statistical differences are a byproduct of society while others are based on biology.
But statistical differences can include a variety of differences such as more muscle strength in men, more balance in women, higher level of femininity in women, higher level of masculinity in men, women have more myelnation in their brains and consequently their brains foster communication between the two hemispheres, in average, better than men.
But I would like to point out how these statistics can be misused. I could say women see better than men. This is because the gene associated with colorblindness is found on the x chromosome. Statistically, more men are colorblind as a result. So in theory, we will find women statistically discern color more accurately than men. However, if you are one of the many men who is not colorblind this isn't really true with regard to you. Moreover, if we take away the colorblind population, we will no longer find a difference between the remaining men and women--so is it fair to say that this is a difference between the sexes?
spiritualhitchhiker
neti, neti, neti
The only ones I can think of are physical and the corresponding mental ones.
Lots of overlap. Lots and lots and lots of overlap due to the similarities as a species. But innate differences tend to pool around: Average height, center of gravity, pelvic floor width ratio, location of most muscular density and bulk, and hormonal fluctuations offer a few differences in structural variances. Behavioral differences are most supported by cultural norms.
Rick O'Shez
Irishman bouncing off walls
Something to do with fish and bicycles? 
Women smell like fish, & men smell like bicycles?Something to do with fish and bicycles?
JustCallMeNick
Member
Are there any genuinely "innate" psychological or behavioral differences? What do you make of the neuroscience showing how men's and women's brains function differently or respond to stimuli differently?
Interesting of course. But as an example, men's testosterone levels respond to external stimuli such as sports events much more than time of day, which is elevated in the morning and fluctuates throughout the day. The behavior is quite different when it's environmentally stimulated than if everything was unchanged.
Women function variably more so when environments change as well.
I'm not saying there are no biological differences, but that in the "nature vs nurture debate" both have influences. As a mother of four grown kids both boys and girls, I can fully attest to that after 20 years of close observation.
Evidence?
Just curious, why did you title your thread as 'battle of the sexes' ...what's the 'battle' if we're just speaking of differences?
Google scholar provides plenty of evidence in searching their sociological studies of gender norms, though an overview at the gender and genetics health ethics page at WHO is pretty good and cites their studies toward the end. Basically the various biological sexes and gender expressions recognized by health industries and cultures around the world show that this isn't a simplistic Estrogen=Barefoot Kitchen Mom and Testosterone=Dominating Strong Man. Environmental factors, economic systems, availability of resources, local prevailing customs, all pool together to help create the various gender expectations that change as resources and governments and technologies change. Biological structures and hormonal fluctuations also change as people age and pass through life stages, so sex and gender remains fluid across a spectrum, rather than a static and dualistic Male/Female dichotomy.
And because cultures are so varied around the world, and gender expressions vary so much, it's a strong correlation.
To build upon what Dee Dee is saying, what battle? Even the battle of the sexes is socially constructed. Just like marriage. Just like education systems. Just like prevailing religious trends. Gender norms aren't immune to the power of cultural influence.
Of course, this falls back on the nature vs nurture debate, which I don't see as a debate. It's a dance between what our bodies are processing and how we cope with environmental stimuli all around us. What is expressed however, IMO, is largely influenced by cultural factors.
I tend to view these subjects like this through a biological and physical anthropology view. There's a huge wealth of biological studies showing the physiological differences between males and females in every system of the body. Generally speaking, males tend to be one way or more inclined towards certain behaviors and the same for females. Arguing that it's socially constructed presents a chicken and the egg argument and ignores the findings of the hard sciences. I view culture as more of an interplay between biology and environmental circumstances. I actually don't even like the term "gender" because it's so abstract that it's almost meaningless these days.
I disagree. Constructs provide the basis for some definition of processes that we in any one community can grasp together. I think your distinction for separating men and women through physiological differences between the two "In every system of the body" is severely conflated. We don't have a Womens Cardiology Department. We don't have a Mens Neurological Department. We don't even have a Mens or Womens Orthopaedic Department in our medical facilities or in our universities...because the differences aren't that notable to justify separating them in the vast majority of our health care services.
Sure, our reproductive systems are what differentiates us. And though the endocrine system does affect us in different ways, what actually affects us MORE with our endocrine system is outside stimuli that either encourage more adrenaline or cortisol production. Interestingly enough, stress (environmental factor) severely impacts how our reproductive and adrenal glands/hormones facilitate or destroy our health.
But if we still only wish to focus on hard sciences, I'll continue here to show that pinning down "generalized" differences is extremely problematic. Especially as I am somebody who's main career choice is the utilization of the human body aesthetics and processes as a medium for artistic expression and for functional movement rehabilitation or conditioning. I've had a lot of time to study, to observe, and to utilize, in other words.
I think the overlap is far far bigger, however, than the differences. We are innately human as a species, and that is more important to note than the differences...which again, change as time passes through life stages and resources change. As a woman, my biology is now FAR different experiencing menopause than it was when I was 19 or when I was 30. The same with my husband. The way he thinks, speaks, acts, metabolizes has changed a LOT in his mid-40s in comparison to when he was 20. For him, being a "man" means something entirely different now than 20 years ago. When we speak to our parents and listen to what they say, too, the meaning changes then, as well.
Trying to speak generally when it comes to biological structures and processes across age, demographic, class, size, etc. is incredibly difficult. When I personally went on estrogen therapy as I was experiencing perimenopause, my doc mentioned how difficult it is to pin down the fluctuations as estrogen and progesterone don't give static readings, but we needed to take multiple tests to find any semblence of a pattern to determine what would be best for my health. The changes in estrogen and progesterone didn't change my behavior nearly as much as it changed my health. However, focusing merely on the female hormones ignored the many hormones that are gender neutral that were either induced or blocked by my stress level.
Several years ago, I had a highly stressful job that I hated. My blood pressure began rising. I began estrogen therapy as I worked there too. It began to help. But I was still at pre-hypertension. What really helped was leaving the job and starting my business. Though my schedule was still full, the stress was much lower, and my blood pressure has been at excellent levels since.
Every doctor I've been to, including my OB-GYN, has reminded me how absolutely important it is to reduce stress in my life to maintain proper stats in my bloodwork. It's been more important than keeping my estrogen and progesterone levels at reasonable levels. And changing my environment has consistently produced health and behaviors that are notable much more than how I'm a female biologically. After a while, and especially after living in the same body that has changed for the last 4 decades, thinking that my innate female-ness has been a larger influence on my health, behavior, decision-making, and perspective than my situation, circumstances, access to resources, my sense of safety, etc. is personally laughable.
So while I agree there are differences between the average male and the average female, those differences firstly pale in comparison to the similarities, and secondly do not find gender-differential expressions as much as the cultural or customary surroundings that influence them. Culture is MUCH more of an impact in gender norms and role-definition and expectations.
JustCallMeNick
Member
I was trying to be catchy.
For some reason I noticed that the majority of mothers are much more lenient than fathers. That's why I'd, if the situation presents it self, fight my father back for the sake of my mother.
Battle of sexes? I'm afraid the world and nature for humans are both male dominant already
Battle of sexes? I'm afraid the world and nature for humans are both male dominant already
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MD
qualiaphile
I haven't really done research into this but it seems rather obvious that differences exist. Testosterone does wonders for men: it makes us more aggressive, egotistical, promiscuous and driven and I think most men fall within a range where they meet these qualities.
Any exceptions are what are called outliers in the world of stats or standard deviations outside the mean. Society is trying to downplay the differences by injecting a lot of social theories which I think are just plain wrong, but in the end science will figure out the truth.
Nature plays a part in everything we are. Whether it be morality, gender and orientation. Just like a minority of people are homosexual, I believe a minority of people are gender fluid. But the majority aren't.
Any exceptions are what are called outliers in the world of stats or standard deviations outside the mean. Society is trying to downplay the differences by injecting a lot of social theories which I think are just plain wrong, but in the end science will figure out the truth.
Nature plays a part in everything we are. Whether it be morality, gender and orientation. Just like a minority of people are homosexual, I believe a minority of people are gender fluid. But the majority aren't.
Male dominant? In the past in most cultures perhaps. But here and now?For some reason I noticed that the majority of mothers are much more lenient than fathers. That's why I'd, if the situation presents it self, fight my father back for the sake of my mother.
Battle of sexes? I'm afraid the world and nature for humans are both male dominant already
MD
qualiaphile
Male dominant? In the past in most cultures perhaps. But here and now?
My mom is the only woman who can boss me around
Male dominant? In the past in most cultures perhaps. But here and now?
Yeah, my mom is the boss at home too. Not to mention my sisters bossing around too
As for the here and now point (allow me to get serious
) I still see the vast majority of rulers, acting rulers, huge business owners, warlords, terrorists... and others, are males. I could be wrong in my observations of course. It is just what I see.
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