The question of exactly what sex differences exist and whether they have
a biological foundation has been one of our culture's favorite enduring
discussions. It should. After a baby is born, a parent's first concern
is for its physical health. The next concern is its sex. Only in the
most modern societies does sex not virtually guarantee the type of
future life a new human being will have. Even in modern societies, one's
sex usually plays a large role in the path a life follows. Scientists
have published thousands of papers on the subject, with the general
conclusion being that men and women are mostly the same, whatever
differences exist have been socialized, and what differences exist have
to do with women bearing children and men being physically stronger. In Warriors and Worriers,
psychologist Joyce Benenson presents a new theory of sex differences,
based on thirty years of research with young children and primates
around the world. Her innovative theory focuses on how men and women
stay alive. Benenson draws on a fascinating array of studies and stories
that explore the ways boys and men deter their enemies, while girls and
women find assistants to aid them in coping with vulnerable children
and elders. This produces two social worlds for each sex which sets
humans apart from most other primate species. Human males form
cooperative groups that compete against out-groups, while human females
exclude
other females in their quest to find mates, female family members to
invest in their children, and keep their own hearts ticking. In the
process, Benenson turns upside down the familiar wisdom that women are
more sociable than men and that men are more competitive than women.Readership: Psychologists, researchers, students, and anyone interested in evolution or gender differences.
