Gender Differences

Numerous gender differences exist among male and female. Some of these differences are actually very controversial but are generally agreed on. Most of those that are agreed on are factual, for instance, physical differences. This is in terms of the external structure but the internal structure is similar except for the reproductive system.  Other organs occur the same for both genders for example liver, lungs, heart, stomach, brain etc.

The differences come in when it comes to the physiology of some of these organs for example the brain. Recent scientific research has shown that males and females approach issues differently. Therefore, if they thus think differently then they are bound to behave and act differently too. The left hemisphere of the brain deals with language assessment and movements of the body while the right hemisphere controls emotions, voice intonations and facial expressions. Women have a larger splenium which is a portion of the brain that deals with analysis of information. Women are said to multi-task, this stems out of the fact that women deal with tasks using both hemispheres of the brain. On the other hand men are said to be poor when it comes to multi-tasking and this is because the male brain solves tasks using only one hemisphere.

Males and females also differ in the way they communicate.  Females are said to be more open. They tend to disclose about themselves and more intimately than males do. Females also tend to communicate more gently, affectionately and with confidence. Though people say that this is a stereotype, it can be generalized that females communicate more than males. This is on average because some men actually communicate more than women.  Since communication in the different genders differs this also affects their socialization and the way they relate to their peers. When growing up boys tend to play or walk around in groups. In such groups there sometimes happens to be a 'group leader' though not out rightly said. Such a 'leader' in most cases happens to be the one who is a prowess in some kinds of games they play or in whatever activities they partake in or he may be the brightest in class. On the hand girls develop close knit  friendships of  about two or three or more but not as many as boys do. Hence, for females their relationships are much closer than for males because they talk more about themselves including their weaknesses.

Males avoid talking about their weaknesses and their vulnerabilities. Some psychologists attribute this to their aggressive nature. Males are very competitive in nature even in their relationships so they consider it even a weakness to express their emotions. This is the reason why most males do not develop close relationships with males. In fact men really avoid talking face to face or eye contact. Males also do not indulge in physical contact besides a handshake or a pat in the back because in most cases they associate physical contact with sexual desires. Females also have different communication styles from males. Most females avoid confrontations and arguments and are generally inclined to agree while men most likely to dispute many issues. This is because they also want to prove themselves right. Men are also said to be more talkative when in public than in private. The opposite is true for women; they are more talkative in private than when in public.

Females are said to be more vulnerable when it comes to their emotions. Women are most likely to break down in situations with a lot of pressure. Most men avoid crying since it is considered as weakness. Hence women are more expressive in terms of their emotions and feelings. This is besides anger because men are said to be worse tempered than women. According to some researchers, most of these differences are attributed to socialization and the different cultures that people grow up in. these others may call gender roles, that is, what the community expects of them. Males are always expected to be tough and to be the main providers in the family. This can be clearly seen by the kind of jobs many men take. Some jobs are said to be masculine. For example construction jobs, engineering, top political jobs etc. this can be clearly seen by the number of female heads of state compared to males heading republics. Despite this there are females who are in these jobs. This has come as a result of the changes that have come over the years as females are determined to strive for equality.

This gender equality cannot be totally achieved due to some biological reasons. The physique of males is different. They have broader and stronger upper part of their bodies. Therefore this explains the reason why some jobs which require physical energy cannot be done by most women. This is also seen in sporting events. The records set in track events by men are better than those set by women.

There has always been a major concern about the issue of whether men and women are different. Of course their anatomy is different and in many other ways they are different. There has been pressing concern of whether their hormonal difference does influence how their behavior and attitudes are. Some feminist and gay theorists normally oppose the question and maintain the differences between men and women are as a result of the socialization that is always in a men dominated environment. They claim that, the distinction between the two genders is due to the patriarchal oppression which lenders women to the feminine gender roles.  There are also some biological differences which do exist from the two sexes. When one looks at a male child and on a female child, it is very obvious that they are different.

Science makes plain that males and females are different from the moment of conception. As Amram Scheinfeld notes in Your Heredity and Environment, these differences between men and women are evident in the chromosomes which carry inherited traits from the father and mother. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes within each cell; twenty-two of these are alike in both males and females. However, Scheinfeld feels that when we come to the twenty-third pair, the sexes are not the same. every woman has in her cells two of what we call the X chromosome. But a man has just one X---its mate being the much smaller Y. It is the presence of this influential Y chromosome that sets the machinery of sex development in motion and results in all the genetic differences that there are between a man and a woman. Right down to the cellular level, males and females are different.

Sex differentiation takes place immediately as the male or female begins to develop within the womb. The sex hormones --primarily estrogen and testosterone--have a significant impact on the behavior of males and females. Why do boys typically like to play with trucks and girls like to play with dolls? Feminists usually claim this is the result of socialization, but there is growing scientific evidence that boys and girls are greatly influenced by their respective hormones. Males and females are not only markedly different in the hormones that drive them, but they are also different in the way they think. The brains of men and women are actually wired differently.