Gender differences are, put simply, certain physical and mental distinctions between male and female humans. Over the years there have been many arguments and studies relating to this subject and, although some gender differences are proven and some still controversial, they should not be confused with sexist stereotypes. No one can really tell whether these gender differences are caused by nature or environment-learned, but the fact is that some amount of sex differentiation takes place immediately as the male or female begins to develop within the womb.
Some differences (such as reproductive organs) are congenital, while others obviously environmental (such as given names). Contrary to the beliefs of feminists or bisexuals, several studies have proven that there are expressed differences between males and females programmed within the DNA from the moment of conception.
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES
There are several obvious differences between men and women, including the following:
1. An average man is taller and heavier than an average woman.2. Men have more bodily hair than women do, especially on the chest and extremities
3. Women are more sensitive to sound than men
4. Men are over 30% stronger than women, especially in the upper body. Although many feminists cannot face this fact, females simply do not have the strength or endurance necessary to be, for example, effective combat soldiers.
5. On average, girls begin puberty changing approximately two years before boys.
6. Men have larger hearts and lungs, and their higher levels of testosterone cause them to produce greater amounts of red blood cells
7. Differences in intake and delivery of oxygen translates into some aspects of performance: when a man is jogging at about 50% of his capacity, a woman will need to work at over 70% of her capacity to keep up with him.
8. Female fertility decreases after age 35, ending with menopause, but men are capable of making children even when very old.
9. Men%26rsquo;s skin has more collagen and sebum, which makes it thicker and oilier than women%26rsquo;s skin
10. Women generally have a greater body fat percentage than men.
11. Men and women have different levels of certain hormones; for example, men have a higher concentration of androgens such as testosterone, while women have a higher concentration of estrogens.
12. An average male brain has approximately 4% more cells and 100 grams more brain tissue than an average female brain. This is not connected with intelligence! Research points to no overall difference in intelligence between males and females. However, both sexes have similar brain weight to body weight ratios.
13. In men, the second digit is often shorter than the fourth digit, while in females the second tends to be longer than the fourth
14. Men have better distance vision and depth perception, and usually better vision in lighted environments. Women have better night vision, see better at the red end of the light spectrum, and have better visual memory.
Diseases
1. More men than women become infected with HIV.
2. More males are likely to be diagnosed with tuberculosis then females.
3. Women are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease.
4. Men are more likely to suffer from cancer.
5. Women are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and blindness
MENTAL DIFFERENCES
Brain differences: Several studies have proven significant differences between male and female brains. Differences are located in both the primitive regions, and the newer parts of the brain called neocortex %26ndash; the higher brain regions.
Men and women process information differently because of differences in a portion of the brain called the splenium, which is much larger in women than in men, and has more brain-wave activity.
Intelligence: Many small-scale studies report differences not repeated in larger studies which, or course, caused argues and confusions. Several researches done on volunteers have proven that there is no significant difference in the average intelligence level of men and women.
However, there are some slight differences:
1. An average man performs better on tests of spatial and mathematical ability, while women perform better on tests of verbal ability and memory.
2. Men%26rsquo;s IQ has greater variance, which means that there are more men than women in the very high and very low IQ groups.
Behavioral differences:
There are some proven behavioral differences between men and women. and the most common are:
1. Men are more physically aggressive.
2. Men masturbate more.
3. Women are less likely to successfully commit suicide, but more likely to attempt it.
4. Men have more positive attitudes about sex then women do.
5. Men are more prone to taking risks.
6. Women express their emotions more readily and experience a greater intensity of emotion.
Differences in mental health:
Several mental illnesses are proven to be differently distributed between genders.
The most common include:
1. Depression %26ndash; Several researches have shown that this disease affects females twice as often as it does males. Serotonin is a chemical required in the brain for %26ldquo;happy mood maintenance%26rdquo;. The rate of synthesis and level of serotonin in the blood are significantly higher in men than in women. These differences may help explain why depression is more common in women. Both depression and panic disorder rates, which are two disorders with higher rates in women than men, may be tied to childhood experiences of abuse.
2. Schizophrenia - Although this disorder affects men and women equally, men typically experience symptoms earlier, with more intensity, and have poorer prognosis than women. Symptoms of schizophrenia in women more frequently involve depression and greater disorders in thought conceptualization, while men report more apathy, disorders of speech, disturbance in cognitive function, and social isolation.
3. Alzheimer%26rsquo;s disease - Several studies have shown that women are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer%26rsquo;s disease than men are. This disease is caused by the damage to the white brain matter. On the other hand, men with Alzheimer%26rsquo;s disease have a higher risk of mortality than women do.
4. Stress Disorders - Anxiety disorders are chronic illnesses that occur more often in women than men. The risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following some traumatic experience is much higher in women than men. Women are also more likely to have been previously assaulted or to have sustained injury by a relative or someone known to them.
Happiness: In general, it has been proven that women are happier with their lives than men are. Women also show greater concern about family and home life issues, while men express more sympathies about political issues.
Different brains %26ndash; different abilities: The difference between the male and female brain is not evidence of intelligence, unintelligence, superiority, or inferiority, but of field specializations. In general, males have better spatial and math skills than females. On the other hand, girls tend to be more vocal than boys. Males are much better in visualizing a three-dimensional object than women are.
SOME OTHER DIFFERENCES - life success, education, employment%26hellip;
Employment: In most of countries, there are more wealthy or rich men than there are women. There are much more unemployed females, as well. Employed women earn 80% of the income of men. Women are less productive then men %26ndash; women in nonagricultural industries work 35.9 hours per week versus 41.6 hours for men.
More men work in the following industries:
%26bull; mining
%26bull; construction
%26bull; transportation
%26bull; farming
%26bull; computer and mathematical occupations
%26bull; engineering and architecture.
%26bull; chief executives
%26bull; firefighters
%26bull; police and patrol officers
%26bull; electricians
%26bull; dentists and surgeons.
Women are far more likely than men to be
%26bull; social workers
%26bull; paralegals and legal assistants
%26bull; teachers
%26bull; nurses
%26bull; speech pathologists
%26bull; dental hygienists
%26bull; maids and housekeeping cleaners
%26bull; Childcare workers.
Education: When talking about literacy we should keep in mind that, worldwide, men are more likely to be literate, with 100 men considered literate for every 88 women. Regarding high education, the differences are not so obvious. For example, women made up 57% of all college students in the United States, 58% in UK and 60% in Iran.
Internet usage: The percentage of men using the Internet was ahead of the percentage of women, at least in United States where the study was conducted.
Men
1. log on more often onto the net,
2. spend more time online,
3. download more music and videos,
4. are more likely to use the Internet to pay bills,
5. are more likely to be broadband users.
Women
1. are more likely to e-mail friends and family about a variety of topics,
2. use the Internet for shopping and banking.
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