Your friend insists that gender differences in behavior are due totally to socialization — that if you treat males and females exactly the same, there will be no differences between them

Question

You disagree, arguing that biology has some influence on gender differences. What research evidence would you cite to support your claim?
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A good answer will include the following key points:
- Boys and men are more aggressive in virtually all cultures, and nonhuman species as well. Aggressive behavior has been linked to androgens, hormones secreted by the testes. Androgens make it more likely that boys will be aggressive by making them more excitable or easily angered and by making boys stronger.
- Females that are exposed to unusually large amounts of male hormones during prenatal development tend to prefer masculine activities and male playmates to a greater extent than girls not exposed to these amounts of male hormones. The same conclusion can be drawn from children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) — a genetic disorder in which, beginning in prenatal development, the adrenal glands secrete large amounts of androgen. This suggests that male hormones, such as androgen, influence the development of masculine traits. Androgens affect the prenatal development of brain regions critical for masculine and feminine gender-role behavior.