Nature vs. Nurture
Men and Women: Different But Equal
Which of our predispositions are we genetically born with and which do we learn from our environment? The nature-nurture debate is a hot-button topic and “innate” is now a dirty word.
When I was in college, I vehemently insisted that there were essentially no differences between men and women. “Different” to me meant “not capable of doing what men can do.”
I have a mature viewpoint now and appreciate the differences women bring to the world. We all have anecdotal evidence that we can use to form our opinions, but these could be biased, based on our experiences. I prefer to look at the straight science and ignore the political correctness of what I might find. It is what it is, and in my mind, that’s OK. Here are the basics:
(1) Science tells us that male and female fetuses are exposed to different hormones as they’re developing.
(2) Science tells us that women may have different interactions between the two hemispheres of the brain.
(3) Science tells us that men have a better ability to visualize a rotating object than women.
(4) Science tells us that men and women employ different hormones in reacting to stress.
To murk the dividing line between nature and nurture, researchers are finding that some genetically inherited traits may not be expressed. For instance, you may have the “shyness gene,” but if you grew up in a safe, favorable environment, you will not express it. If you grew up in a hostile environment, you would most likely be incapacitated by extreme shyness.
How much does nurture affect the differences between men and women? All we can say is that it plays a major role—and the interesting thing is, we can change nurture. We change the nurture component by changing our physical environment, our parenting, our social constraints, our stereotypes and our expectations. Girls who play sports learn to handle competition differently. Girls who see women heading up companies alter their expectations. Girls who see women holding political offices expand their horizons.
It’s OK to say men and women are different. We should take advantage of the differences and benefit from, you know the word, synergy. And for those differences we don’t like—the ones that were good 30,000 years ago—let’s change “nurture.”
Tip: Women, because of (2) above, you can better decipher nonverbal clues. Remember this the next time you’re in a meeting. Observe the other players and realize you can glean information that many men cannot. And to be fair to the men reading this, you have advantages from that rotating-objects-in-your-head thing. Maybe you don’t need maps?
Note: For related information, see my blog on Women’s Behavior Traits: In Other Words Women, What Is Comfortable?
Further Reading:
WomensMedia, by Bonita Banducci, Women’s Equality and Equity: Different But Equal
Time magazine, “Who Says A Woman Can’t Be Einstein?”
Yes, men’s and women’s brains are different. But new research upends the old myths about who’s good at what. A tour of the ever changing brain.
By Amanda Ripley, research by Coco Masters
Scientific American magazine, Sex Differences in the Brain,
By Doreen Kimura
Men and women display patterns of behavioral and cognitive differences that reflect varying hormonal influences on brain development.
Book, Sexing the Brain by Lesley Rogers (Paperback - Sep 15, 2002)
Take the quizzes—but we’re not vouching for them: How male or female is your brain?
The following tests were developed by Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge.
Take the interactive empathy quotient test. Take the interactive systemising quotient test.
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