More Brain Points

Gender Differences and Brain Wiring

            A baby’s first few moments of life are of utter importance. Is it a girl or a boy? What will you name him or her? Should I buy a truck or a Barbie? What color will the baby room be? An endless number of questions and responsibilities for the new parents before they can even treasure beautiful moment. Gender plays a crucial role the minute a life begins. From that point onward, societal norms and stereotypes work to ensure that these gender roles are followed, that no boundaries are crossed. But we can’t help but wonder, what drives or gives rise to the differences we’re so keen on ensuring are followed? Social psychologists have theorized multiple factors they believe influence the child from as early as when they are one-year-old. It is in infancy where all the differences that define a girl and a boy are cultivated.

It is no rocket science that one of the core defining differences between males and females are the different levels of hormones that function neurologically. Males exhibit a higher level of testosterone, which gives rise to aggression, masculinity, body strength, etc., whereas girls are lower on testosterone, giving rise to a warm, gentle, and compassionate demeanor. However, hormones play but a minor role in the distinctions between male and female brains; anatomically, we’re pretty similar.

Another hot debate is that of nature versus nurture. Parents are believed to be the “gardeners” that help the seedling grow by providing proper care and an environment under which it can thrive. This nature component is a major driving force that supports the debate. Parents consciously hand over Barbie dolls to girls and action figure to boys based on their unconscious perceptions. Nonetheless, it all begins with preferences in infancy.

In a study done with infants, parents reported that up until thirteen months, their infants don’t show any sort of toy preferences. In fact, a boy and a girl both prefer a doll over any other toy. When this procedure was repeated with 1-year-olds, similar results were found with slight variations: boys now look at dolls less than girls, but still continue to play with them. After this period, girls and boys concentrate on exploring “gender toys” their parents bring home for them: girls playing with kitchen sets and dolls and boys playing with building sets and racecars.

In a TIME magazine article by Maia Szalavitz, she claims that gender differences arise due to the different brain wirings between males and females. In male brains, there are stronger links between coordinated action and perception, while in female brains there are like stronger links between the right and left, which translates into emotional rationality and planning. These links serve as the foundations of gender differences and contribute to the basic understanding of males and females.