Misconceptions about men and women

Steve Stewart-Williams' book, "A Billion Years of Sex Differences," reveals how the public has misunderstood men and women for many years, according to The Guardian.

Photo: Psychology Today .

According to evolutionary psychologist Steve Stewart-Williams, most people misunderstand gender. Traditional thinkers tend to exaggerate the natural personality differences between men and women. Progressives, on the other hand, believe that upbringing and socialization play a more decisive role.

Steve wanted a more open and serious scientific dialogue regarding gender differences in order to guide better policymaking.

What are the similarities and differences between men and women?

Between the two genders, Steve noticed some relatively distinct differences, such as whether each person is generally attracted to men or women, upper body strength, height, career preferences, or even the ability to kill.

Many other factors, such as mathematical ability or a conscientious and meticulous personality, are not so different.

However, using these factors alone is insufficient to distinguish gender. For example, basic data indicates that the shortest people are mostly women, while the tallest are men. The average height of men is also higher than that of women. However, knowing only the figure of 1.73 meters is not enough data to determine whether a person is male or female.

In his book, Stewart-Williams lists common biases between men and women. Among them is the “gamma bias”: if men are portrayed positively, the public perceives the opposite. One of the author’s recent articles shows that if the public is told that men draw better, lie less, or are more intelligent, people judge these conclusions as wrong and deserving of condemnation. However, if these characteristics are attributed to women, the public reaction is less severe.

The book was released on June 4th. Photo: Amazon.

Another bias is the “delta bias,” which refers to an aversion to traditional gender differences and a preference for the opposite. This aligns with the current trend of condemning gender discrimination and arguing that women have the same rights as men.

While Stewart-Williams argues that there are inherent differences between men and women, he doesn't suggest one gender is better than the other. Instead, the author recommends that people choose work and lifestyles that suit their health, gender, and interests.

For example, men tend to prefer working with objects while women prefer working with people. Men are passionate about status while women often want to expand their social circle. Numerous studies have also reinforced Stewart-Williams' argument by pointing out many gender differences, from career preferences to personality traits.

So what other evidence suggests that natural factors, rather than nurture, play as much of a role as some believe? Stewart-Williams makes the following argument: Gender differences have existed historically and across cultures.

Sex differentiation, which manifests very early in childhood or becomes more pronounced during puberty, appears to be influenced by prenatal hormonal exposure and not by socialization.

Explaining male and female roles from the perspective of evolutionary psychology.

While acknowledging the important role of natural factors, Stewart-Williams also shares many evolutionary psychological perspectives. For example, the author writes that domestic violence stems from the aggressive nature of men, rather than from personality traits or the influence of patriarchy. Therefore, interventions aimed at teaching self-control skills to men would be more effective than targeting changes in belief systems and ideology.

However, this is only the result when considering gender-equal societies. Domestic violence and sexual violence are actually much higher in patriarchal communities, where such behavior is tolerated or even accepted. Therefore, understanding how social and cultural factors shape gender differences in each place is also crucial.

Furthermore, Stewart-Williams believes there is a less-acknowledged but contributing factor to the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, or in leadership roles in general: inherent differences in ambition and career interests. However, more thorough assessments of the structure of these professions are needed to understand the roles and adaptations of women.

The book contains much surprising information that differs significantly from conventional wisdom; however, a more comprehensive assessment of the roles of both nature and society in shaping human beings and defining gender relationships is still needed.

Source: https://znews.vn/nhung-nhan-thuc-sai-lam-ve-nam-va-nu-post1654545.html