The Neverending Story of 'Hard-Wired' Gender Differences
Sex Roles, Vol. 65, No. 5, 2011
Posted: 21 Apr 2013
Date Written: April 15, 2011
Abstract
Speculation about gender differences has a long standing tradition. If it is not the size of the brains, then it is mathematical ability; if it is not impulses toward aggression, then it is interhemispheric transfer of information; if it is not preferences in types of play activities, then it is pleasure in genital sexuality. For as long as there has been neuroscience there has been scientific interest in differences between male and female brains (and their psychological implications). In this paper, I critically appraise the book "Delusions of Gender," in which the British psychologist Cordelia Fine criticizes neuroscientific claims about gender differences (and their interpretations by popular science writers).
Keywords: gender, gender differences, neuroscience, socialization
JEL Classification: J16
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation