Men and women are different in many respects. The brain is one these differences. Some people say that these differences in the brain come from nature. In contrast, some other people believe that nurture, or social conditioning causes the differences. However, recent research explains that the differences in the brain are mainly caused by nature, but nurture also plays a role.
Historical job divisions can explain the argument that men and women’s brain differences are caused by nature. Since humans evolved, men and women have had different jobs. Men usually hunted, fished, or fought, while women did domestic work like cooking, making clothes, and caring for their children. This difference in daily life of men and women caused differences in their brains. Men especially, developed the brain to be more suitable for multi-tasking big problems, such as surviving in extremely dangerous situations, or planning strategies to fight with other tribes. Women developed the brain to be more appropriate for detailed work. Men and women have developed their brains in that way for thousands of years. As a result, even today’s men tend to have desires to accomplish big tasks while women pay more attention to the details. Consider in this regard, I can understand why I was poor at detailed work. I am not good at art, which needs a lot of skill and ability to take care of details. However, I was much better at P.E class that needs physical ability and less detailed work.
The differences in men and women’s hormones can also prove the gender differences in the brain. Men have hormone called testosterone, and women have hormone called estrogen. A recent research at the
Although the main cause of the differences in the brain is nature, that does not mean that nurture has no effect on the brain. Here is a good example of how nurture affects the brain. Twins who were separated when they were young grew up to be rally different from each other. It was hard to believe that they were identical twins. That was because they were affected by different social environments. The environment made them totally different.
Another example is the story of an Indian girl’s life. A very young girl who was abandoned, was raised by a wolf family. She lived as a member of a wolf pack until people found her. When people first observed her, she acted like a wolf. People tried to socialize her, but failed. That was because her 8-year long life in the wolf pack affected her brain. She could not function in the society because her brain was neither male nor female, but it was wolf, although she was born as a person.
Nature is the main cause of gender difference in the brain. Still, nurture has effects on gender difference in brain. To understand gender difference in the brain, you should understand both nature and nurture effects brain.
