Just how do men and women differ, physically as well as perhaps mentally and cognitively? Which of these differences are innate, and which are social constructs — the result of differences in the way boys and girls are usually socialized, or if you prefer "nurture vs nature"?
Whatever society you are part of, we can guarantee that these questions look, at least at first glance, completely normal. We can also guarantee that gender stereotypes are part of the society you live in.
These questions become even more complicated, however, when we take into account that more and more people have become aware of the differences between the terms "gender" and "sex". Whereas biological sex is determined by factors such as chromosomes (XX vs XY), genitalia, and secondary sexual characteristics, gender identity is an internal or external expression of the way a person feels inside.
When talking about gender, it has become increasingly clear that people can identify not only as male or female but also as agender, non-binary, and in any number of different ways. For most people, their gender identity matches their biological sex, or the sex they were assigned at birth. For others, it does not.
Besides the fact that people can be transgender, some are also born with anatomical features that cannot be seen as purely male or female. This is commonly referred to as intersex, but now also as differences in sexual development.
Now any question about the physical and mental differences between men and women is not so straightforward, is it?
In this updated article, we will highlight some of the differences typically observed between the male and female sex, as opposed to gender, a much more fluid psychological concept.
Physical differences between men and women
Several commonly observed differences between men and women, include the following [1]:
1. The average man is taller and heavier than the average woman.
2. Men typically have more body hair than women do, especially on the chest and extremities (arms and legs).
3. Women are more sensitive to sound than men.
4. Men are typically over 30% physically stronger than women, especially in the upper body.
5. On average, girls begin the physical changes that indicate the beginning of puberty 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 translate into some aspects of athletic 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 can continue to father children even when very old, though male fertility does also decline with age.
9. Men’s skin usually has more collagen and sebum, which makes it thicker and oilier than women’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 (also called "male hormones" for this reason) 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 finger tends to be longer than the fourth.
14. Men tend to have better distance vision and depth perception, and usually better vision in lighted environments. Women often have better night vision, see better at the red end of the light spectrum, and a have better visual memory.
Diseases: Sex differences in medical risk factors
1. More men than women become infected with HIV. This is, however, not true for the African continent. Women who are HIV positive have lower viral loads but are still at a higher risk of progressing to AIDS. [2]
2. More males are likely to be diagnosed with tuberculosis than females. [3]
3. Women are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease during their reproductive years. [4]
4. Men are more likely to suffer from some types of cancer, and are more likely to die from cancer overall. [5]
5. Women are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and blindness. [6, 7] In fact, close to two-thirds of the world's blind people are women. [7]
Mental differences
Brain differences between men and women
Several studies have proven significant differences between average male and female brains. These differences are located in both the primitive regions and the newer parts of the brain called neocortex – the higher brain regions.
Men and women tend to 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.
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Is there a difference in intelligence between men and women?
Many small-scale studies report differences not repeated in larger studies which, or course, caused arguments and confusion. Several types of research 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 global differences [8]:
- An average man performs better on tests of spatial and mathematical ability, while women perform better on tests of verbal ability and memory.
- Men’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 between men and women
There are some behavioral differences between men and women that tend to hold true, and the most common ones are [9]:
- Men are more physically aggressive.
- Men masturbate more often.
- Women are less likely to successfully commit suicide, but more likely to attempt it.
- Men have more positive attitudes about sex than women do.
- Men are more prone to taking risks.
- Women express their emotions more readily and are willing to show a greater intensity of emotion.
Sex differences in mental health
Several mental illnesses are proven to be differently distributed between the sexes. Let's take a look at the most common of these mental illnesses.
Depression
Several pieces of research have shown that depression affects females twice as often as it does males. [10] Serotonin is a chemical required in the brain for “happy mood maintenance”. 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.
Schizophrenia
Although this disorder affects men and women equally, men typically experience symptoms earlier, with more intensity, and have a poorer prognosis than women. [11] 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.
Alzheimer’s disease
Several studies have shown that women are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than men are. [12] Alzheimer's disease is caused by damage to the white brain matter. On the other hand, men with Alzheimer’s disease have a higher risk of mortality than women do.
Stress Disorders
Anxiety disorders are chronic illnesses that occur more often in women than men. The risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a traumatic experience is much higher in women than men. Women are also more likely to have been previously assaulted or to have sustained an injury by a relative or someone they know. [13]
Are there differences in the perception of happiness between men and women?
In general, evidence suggests that women are happier with their lives than men are. Women also show greater concern for family and home life issues, while men express more passion about political issues; both differences that have a lot to do with typical socialization. [14]
Different brains – Different abilities?
In general, males appear to have better spatial and math skills than females. On the other hand, girls tend to be more vocal than boys. Males are much better at visualizing a three-dimensional object than women are.
Some other differences - life success, education, employment…
Gender differences in employment
- In most countries, there are more wealthy or rich men than there are wealthy or rich women.
- There are much more unemployed females than males, as well.
- Women earn less: employed women earn 80% of the income of men.
- Women tend to be employed and productive outside of the home for fewer hours than men – women in nonagricultural industries work 35.9 hours per week versus 41.6 hours for men, which can in large part be explained by frequent childcare responsibilities. [15]
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More men work in the following industries [15]:
- Mining
- Construction
- Transportation
- Farming
- Computer and mathematical occupations
- Engineering and architecture.
- Chief executives
- Firefighters
- Police and patrol officers
- Electricians
- Dentists and surgeons
Women are far more likely than men to be [15]:
- Social workers
- Paralegals and legal assistants
- Teachers
- Nurses
- Speech pathologists
- Dental hygienists
- Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Childcare workers.
Sex differences in levels of 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 higher education, the differences are not so obvious. However, in the last decade, there is proof of a reversal of gender inequalities in higher education, which is shown to be an ongoing trend. [16]
Internet usage differences between men and women
The percentage of men using the internet was ahead of the percentage of women, at least in the United States, where a study on the topic was conducted. [17]
Men:
1. Log onto the net more often
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 email or message friends and family about a variety of topics.
2. Use the Internet for shopping and banking.