Gender Roles: Influences of Brain Structure Differences

In the article entitled How Men's Brains Are Wired Differently Than Women's, Tanya Lewis suggests that males and females share two very distinct structures in the brain region. It is not surprising that males and females function under two biological roles in the society, but it has been proven that the brain has a rather significant involvement in this. This article introduces physiological as well as anatomical ways in which the brain of a male differs from that of a female. While I agree with Tanya Lewis’ claims, the articles does not address how gender roles and personalities can be a result of differences in the brain structures of males and females. This reflection will gather valid studies that proves that, indeed, the differences in character and personality traits of males versus

females are found in the framework of the brain.

There is no doubt that personalities are different from person to person, and the it is evident that “Personality is what makes every human unique” (Nostro. 1), however, it is more likely that the brain has regions that enhances a behavioral trait in males as opposed to females. To provide an example, Lewis explains that “women may have better verbal memory and social cognition, whereas men may have better motor and spatial skills, on average” (Lewis). A man is known to be a fighter, while a woman is known to be ‘gossiper’ (. Because these behaviors are an example of social stereotypes, it is not sure that all men share personalities that are associated with their motor and spatial skills. But, on an average range, more males tend to be better at these activities. Similar studies have shown that males are more aggressive, while women share more calming and neutral characteristics. “there are gender differences in neuroticism and agreeableness, with women scoring higher on these 2 traits than men” (Nostro. 1). But again, there are high possibilities that one will come across a woman who is more aggressive than calm, or a man who is more calm than aggressive.

Other studies have also proven Tany Lewis’s claim that males have stronger connections between the hemisphere which is close to the cerebellum, the region that coordinates complex muscular movements (Lewis).

When a father plays with his son, he tends to be more aggressive and utilize intense physical activities in comparison to his daughter, with whom he encourages milder and more gentle actions (Poole. 45). While this may be an example of the neurological differences in males and females, sex hormones play rather bigger part. For instance, Estrogen and Progesterone may influence levels of “e neuropsychological features related to
personality obtained through the functional profile” (Nostro. 11). The abovementioned scene of a father’s behavior toward his son versus his daughter signifies the distribution of these sex hormones in the body. While many behaviors and personalities performed by both sexes can be signs of stereotypical gender roles, a few of them actually correlate with the way that the brain is structured. Tanya Lewis’ article How Men's Brains provided an informative discussion about the gendered brains and the anatomical framework that is presented in both

sexes.