Evolution and Gender

Evolution and Gender PDF Author: Rosemary L. Hopcroft
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317353307
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Offering new research and analysis on the relation between gender and evolution, this book explains conflict between the sexes and the frequent emergence and stubborn continuation of patriarchal regimes that serve to control the behavior of women in societies around the world, both past and present. Women and men are different, on average. But that does not mean they are unequal. Indeed, understanding average differences is key to the full realization of equality in health care and other dimensions of social life. Hopcroft shows that gender differences in physiology, psychology, and behavior can be traced to slight differences in evolved traits between men and women. These differences exist because of sex differences in investment in offspring, which meant that, in the environment of evolution, some adaptive problems were more important for men to solve than for women, and vice versa. For men, the most important adaptive problem to solve was that of finding a mate. Men who did not solve this problem are not our ancestors. For women, the most important adaptive problem to solve was that of successfully bearing and raising children. Women who did not solve this problem are not our ancestors. These small differences underlie all the differences described in the book, including sex differences in mate preferences, physiology, cognition, aggression, status striving, and emotional experience. It can also help explain the differential treatment of children by parents, the differential success of boys and girls in modern schools, and sex differences in style of communication.

Evolution and Gender

Evolution and Gender PDF Author: Rosemary L. Hopcroft
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317353307
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Offering new research and analysis on the relation between gender and evolution, this book explains conflict between the sexes and the frequent emergence and stubborn continuation of patriarchal regimes that serve to control the behavior of women in societies around the world, both past and present. Women and men are different, on average. But that does not mean they are unequal. Indeed, understanding average differences is key to the full realization of equality in health care and other dimensions of social life. Hopcroft shows that gender differences in physiology, psychology, and behavior can be traced to slight differences in evolved traits between men and women. These differences exist because of sex differences in investment in offspring, which meant that, in the environment of evolution, some adaptive problems were more important for men to solve than for women, and vice versa. For men, the most important adaptive problem to solve was that of finding a mate. Men who did not solve this problem are not our ancestors. For women, the most important adaptive problem to solve was that of successfully bearing and raising children. Women who did not solve this problem are not our ancestors. These small differences underlie all the differences described in the book, including sex differences in mate preferences, physiology, cognition, aggression, status striving, and emotional experience. It can also help explain the differential treatment of children by parents, the differential success of boys and girls in modern schools, and sex differences in style of communication.

Evolution's Rainbow

Evolution's Rainbow PDF Author: Joan Roughgarden
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520957970
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 491

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Book Description
In this innovative celebration of diversity and affirmation of individuality in animals and humans, Joan Roughgarden challenges accepted wisdom about gender identity and sexual orientation. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Roughgarden takes on the medical establishment, the Bible, social science—and even Darwin himself. She leads the reader through a fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality among fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including primates. Evolution's Rainbow explains how this diversity develops from the action of genes and hormones and how people come to differ from each other in all aspects of body and behavior. Roughgarden reconstructs primary science in light of feminist, gay, and transgender criticism and redefines our understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Witty, playful, and daring, this book will revolutionize our understanding of sexuality. Roughgarden argues that principal elements of Darwinian sexual selection theory are false and suggests a new theory that emphasizes social inclusion and control of access to resources and mating opportunity. She disputes a range of scientific and medical concepts, including Wilson's genetic determinism of behavior, evolutionary psychology, the existence of a gay gene, the role of parenting in determining gender identity, and Dawkins's "selfish gene" as the driver of natural selection. She dares social science to respect the agency and rationality of diverse people; shows that many cultures across the world and throughout history accommodate people we label today as lesbian, gay, and transgendered; and calls on the Christian religion to acknowledge the Bible's many passages endorsing diversity in gender and sexuality. Evolution's Rainbow concludes with bold recommendations for improving education in biology, psychology, and medicine; for democratizing genetic engineering and medical practice; and for building a public monument to affirm diversity as one of our nation's defining principles.

Evolution, Gender, and Rape

Evolution, Gender, and Rape PDF Author: Cheryl Brown Travis
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262700900
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description
Explains the flaws and limitations of a strictly biological model of rape, and argues that traditionally stereotyped gender roles are grounded more in culture than in differing biological reproductive roles. [back cover].

Male, Female

Male, Female PDF Author: David C. Geary
Publisher: Amer Psychological Assn
ISBN: 9781557985279
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 397

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Book Description
Geary (psychology and anthropology, U. of Missouri-Columbia) thinks culturally constructed gender roles alone cannot account for the differences in the social behavior of men and women. He turns to Darwin's theory of sexual selection as the best avenue for understanding. His main focus is how th etwo elements of competition between males and of females selecting mates has influenced human behavior over the centuries and across cultures.

Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior

Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior PDF Author: Peter B. Gray
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674074394
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
Few things come more naturally to us than sex—or so it would seem. Yet to a chimpanzee, the sexual practices and customs we take for granted would appear odd indeed. He or she might wonder why we bother with inconveniences like clothes, why we prefer to make love on a bed, and why we fuss so needlessly over privacy. Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior invites us into the thought-experiment of imagining human sex from the vantage point of our primate cousins, in order to underscore the role of evolution in shaping all that happens, biologically and behaviorally, when romantic passions are aroused. Peter Gray and Justin Garcia provide an interdisciplinary synthesis that draws on the latest discoveries in evolutionary theory, genetics, neuroscience, comparative primate research, and cross-cultural sexuality studies. They are our guides through an exploration of the patterns and variations that exist in human sexuality, in chapters covering topics ranging from the evolution of sex differences and reproductive physiology to the origins of sexual play, monogamous unions, and the facts and fictions surrounding orgasm. Intended for generally curious readers of all stripes, this up-to-date, one-volume survey of the evolutionary science of human sexual behavior explains why sexuality has remained a core fascination of human beings throughout time and across cultures.

The Evolution of Human Sexuality

The Evolution of Human Sexuality PDF Author: Donald Symons
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199878471
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Anthropology, Sexual Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Gender and Cultural Studies

The Oxford Handbook of Evolution, Biology, and Society

The Oxford Handbook of Evolution, Biology, and Society PDF Author: Rosemary Lynn Hopcroft
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190299320
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 705

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Book Description
This book contains an overview of research on the interaction of biological and sociological processes. Issues explored include: the origins of social solidarity; religious beliefs; sex differences; gender inequality; human happiness; social stratification and inequality; identity, status, and other group processes; race, ethnicity, and discrimination; fertility and family processes; crime and deviance; cultural and social change.

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development PDF Author: Jane L. Parpart
Publisher: IDRC
ISBN: 0889369100
Category : Feminism
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development demytsifies the theory of gender and development and shows how it plays an important role in everyday life. It explores the evolution of gender and development theory, introduces competing theoretical frameworks, and examines new and emerging debates. The focus is on the implications of theory for policy and practice, and the need to theorize gender and development to create a more egalitarian society. This book is intended for classroom and workshop use in the fields ofdevelopment studies, development theory, gender and development, and women's studies. Its clear and straightforward prose will be appreciated by undergraduate and seasoned professional, alike. Classroom exercises, study questions, activities, and case studies are included. It is designed for use in both formal and nonformal educational settings.

Biology at Work

Biology at Work PDF Author: Kingsley R. Browne
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813542472
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Does biology help explain why women, on average, earn less money than men? Is there any evolutionary basis for the scarcity of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies? According to Kingsley Browne, the answer may be yes. Biology at Work brings an evolutionary perspective to bear on issues of women in the workplace: the "glass ceiling," the "gender gap" in pay, sexual harassment, and occupational segregation. While acknowledging the role of discrimination and sexist socialization, Browne suggests that until we factor real biological differences between men and women into the equation, the explanation remains incomplete. Browne looks at behavioral differences between men and women as products of different evolutionary pressures facing them throughout human history. Womens biological investment in their offspring has led them to be on average more nurturing and risk averse, and to value relationships over competition. Men have been biologically rewarded, over human history, for displays of strength and skill, risk taking, and status acquisition. These behavioral differences have numerous workplace consequences. Not surprisingly, sex differences in the drive for status lead to sex differences in the achievement of status. Browne argues that decision makers should recognize that policies based on the assumption of a single androgynous human nature are unlikely to be successful. Simply removing barriers to inequality will not achieve equality, as women and men typically value different things in the workplace and will make different workplace choices based on their different preferences. Rather than simply putting forward the "nature" side of the debate, Browne suggests that dichotomies such as nature/nurture have impeded our understanding of the origins of human behavior. Through evolutionary biology we can understand not only how natural selection has created predispositions toward certain types of behavior but also how the social environment interacts with these predispositions to produce observed behavioral patterns.

Managing Without Power

Managing Without Power PDF Author: R Meredith Belbin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136014330
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Meredith Belbin, best known for his work on teams, now considers the way in which continuing evolution has produced distinct patterns of behaviour for men and women. Examination of the key stages in the history of homo sapiens reveals * how very early human society was regulated not through power but by organic balance, so allowing women to play a vital role in the community * why women lost their hold over men as more populous and structured societies became dominated by aggressive warriors seeking territorial expansion * how natural selection within competing empires favoured the survival of able professionals and compliant slaves, so diversifying the behavioural roles to which humans were genetically disposed * how, in the present era, power has lost its biological utility as human evolution slowed, and technological evolution favoured the emancipation of women with its premium on communication skills *how in this changing scenario, as women have recovered their status and influence, social progress has brought in its wake a new set of cross-gender problems. Penetrating, original and provocative this book offers suggestions on how men and women can come to terms with their genetic heritage, so restoring much needed balance to business organizations and to the community at large.