It is commonly believed that gender inequality is culturally rooted. We see it in institutionalized sexism and centuries-old practices of gender repression and exploitation. Gender-related violence, imposed limitations, and condescension (credibility differences, mansplaining, over-emotionalism, rescuing) are all entrenched in our beliefs, institutions, and everyday practices.
At the same time, empowered voices are calling for change. We see education and reforms making a difference, both relationally and in the ways we conduct our affairs and run our institutions.
But not across the board. Some roadblocks seem insurmountable, and it’s not just because of the recalcitrance of the privileged and prejudiced. Nor is it simply due to the rigidity of antiquated systems. There is a glitch—something heretofore unexplainable that resists all efforts toward understanding and healing.
The classic approach to sexism in nearly all its guises is that we can explain it sociologically. For the most part, I believe this to be true. I say “for the most part” because recent findings in the fields of behaviorism and neuroscience point to the possibility of biological factors playing a role.
One of these factors is the way males and females handle stress differently. While it’s true that stress is stress, no matter what the source or circumstance, stress response varies from person to person. The most notable difference turns out to be gender-related. Recent research shows that when females are stressed, their nurturing tendencies typically predominate, whereas males tend toward a defensive-protective response.
For Clarity
Before further exploring this topic, I want to state that I am speaking in generalities. As with many gender differences, there is no clear dividing line with stress response. Rather, there is a spectrum, where more females than males tend to congregate in one area, and more males than females in another.
These findings are nothing new to those familiar with classical character archetypes. There are many interpretations of the archetypal model, and here is clearest one that I have found: each of us embodies three archetypes: Nurturer, Guardian, and Leader. None of them are gender specific, and each one occurs to varying degree in each of us.
Except in stressful situations, when a gender bias appears, exactly as recently “discovered.” In archetypal terms, the Nurturer predominates with women, and with men it is the Guardian. Traditional stories depict women gathering things and looking after people, while men demonstrate fight-flight responses. From the stories, these actions strike me as intuitive responses to prepare for worst-case outcomes.
We now know what occurs, but we don’t know why—especially as it relates to stress. Is acculturation the cause, or could there be other factors at play?
To solve the riddle, human behaviorists are looking at new brain-function research from neuroscientists. They have found that the amygdalae, two almond-sized structures in the brain, are responsible for the behavioral differences between men and women. The amygdalae are part of the limbic system, which is one of the three main parts of our brain (the limbic system is also known as the mammalian brain or midbrain). In all mammals, including us, the amygdalae are the sources and controlling agents of our two core emotions: fear and yearning. Both are forms of stress.
Most important to our discussion is the fact that the amygdalae are the most sexually-dimorphic brain structures. They differentiate before puberty, growing larger in males than in females. Male amygdalae develop a high number of sex hormone receptors. Complementing this is the fact that male sexual behavior is strongly influenced by visual stimuli. Female amygdalae gain the ability to direct the retention of strong and clear emotional memories.
Behaviorally, this translates to distinct emotional and sexual response differences between the genders. In times of stress, women’s feeling-oriented amygdalae give them the nurturing proclivity noted above in the archetype discussion. Men’s sexually sensitive amygdalae and visual (external) orientation direct them toward the defensive-protective stress responses previously mentioned.
This is important because stress is an intrinsic component of gender-based interactions. It can be nurturing to intimate relationships when it takes the form of creative interchange, flirting, fantasies, and other expressions of sexual tension. With inter-gender communication in general, the stress surfaces with efforts to mesh two different archetypal expressive styles.
Dysfunctional behavioral and communication patterns increase the stress, which tends to magnify natural gender differences. This can produce results ranging from discomfort to disaster.
Yet no matter what the scenario, and no matter whether interactions are pleasant or abrasive, gender-based behavioral differences take center stage. They play key roles in our daily lives with the opposite sex, along with either shaping or supporting cultural practices and relationship patterns such as those listed in the first paragraph.
Understanding the biology of these gender differences can contribute significantly to self-understanding and accepting others for who they are. The knowledge could help us successfully navigate relationship dynamics. Aware therapists use the information to identify clients whose lives seem normal only because they have adopted effective ways to mask their chronic stress conditions. Clients reveal their stressed states—and their degree of stress—when they enact the gender-specific stress responses described above either out of character or out of context.
Recent scientific findings report little, if any, biological differences in male and female brains. It’s true that the male amygdalae may be slightly larger, but this can vary, and most often depends on the individual.
“…over the last few decades, neuroscientists have been looking for major anatomical differences and did not find that many. Actually, they’ve found surprisingly few differences: more neurons or more neuronal spines here and there in one sex or the other, with great variations from one individual to the other…” See http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/is-the-brain-gendereda-q-a-with-harvard-s-catherine-dulac/ Current research offers no definitive proof that there are male and female brains. See http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/11/brains-men-and-women-aren-t-really-different-study-finds
The differences that exist between the sexes is much more complex than the amygdalae, and largely entails the impact from environment and cultural norms that are passed down from generation to generation. Though it’s true that sex influences brain chemistry, it would be a misinterpretation of science to assert that men and women have different brains altogether, a conclusion that could be used to support the “boys will be boys” mentality. Or, if it’s biology, then all we can do is try to understand these differences and accept what is.
Neuroplasticity, on the other hand, is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. We are all subject to the cultural phenomenon of our day, which has a profound impact on the wiring of our brains, and how we interact with the opposite sex. We can choose to accept these well established patterns that were learned during our formative years, and reinforced throughout adulthood, or we can challenge ourselves to see beyond them, and change our own behavior, as well as our actions during stressful times.
As an aside, it would help the reader if you would cite your references, especially when discussing scientific evidence.