Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9162 total)
4 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,806 Year: 3,063/9,624 Month: 908/1,588 Week: 91/223 Day: 2/17 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   gender differences: nature of nurture?
Kairyu
Member (Idle past 203 days)
Posts: 162
From: netherlands
Joined: 06-23-2010


Message 1 of 3 (655644)
03-12-2012 10:56 AM


Yesterday I stumbled on a opinion article in my local paper, which claimed a meta-study by Janet Hyde, had shown that the differences in behaviour,strengths, and weaknesses isn't as drastic as claimed by most scientists. I believed some differences had been proven by now, so I snuffed around a little on google scholar(which I aren't that skilled with), and found some abstract section of another meta study which DID detail gender differences in behaviour. The large effect testosterone has is well know to me. Searching for Hyde yielded a rather large amount of feminist blogs by the way, so I'm wondering: who is being biased here?
I support equal right to work,etc, and I think many people my age do. Still, I thought gender differences were proven by now, so I just decided to make this topic with no real goal in mind.
Does anyone has a bit of specific knowledge on the subject?

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by caffeine, posted 03-12-2012 11:21 AM Kairyu has replied

  
caffeine
Member (Idle past 1024 days)
Posts: 1800
From: Prague, Czech Republic
Joined: 10-22-2008


Message 2 of 3 (655647)
03-12-2012 11:21 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Kairyu
03-12-2012 10:56 AM


How do you measure it?
Of course there are gender differences, but the scale of them and what, exactly, is included within them, is very difficult to measure. You phrase the question as 'nature vs. nurture', but then we're faced with the problem that all the people we have available to test have already been nurtured. If we find that men are, on average, better at spatial awareness tasks*, how can we tell whether this is genetically-determined sexual dimorphism, due to selection for different gender roles; or the result of societal gender differences leading people to act, and thus develop, in different ways?
*I don't know whether this has been found - it's an example pulled from the top of my head.
ABE: The fact that two meta-analyses differ on a comple subject does not necessarily mean either are biased. And simply pointing out that someone is a feminist is not enough to demonstrate bias in her findings. She may be fiddling things to support her ideas, consciously or subconsciously, but it seems unfair to me to imply bias simply because the results agree with her preconceptions, without even bothering to look at her work.
Edited by caffeine, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Kairyu, posted 03-12-2012 10:56 AM Kairyu has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by Kairyu, posted 03-12-2012 11:53 AM caffeine has not replied

  
Kairyu
Member (Idle past 203 days)
Posts: 162
From: netherlands
Joined: 06-23-2010


Message 3 of 3 (655648)
03-12-2012 11:53 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by caffeine
03-12-2012 11:21 AM


bias
To clarify on this point, since your objection is correct: I don't think the scientist is biased without a proper thought, but the article that led me to the meta-analyse implied the ''gender differences exist'' stream of thought was biased by correct gender roles, so I asked myself if bias from the other was also a possibility once this kind of logic is deployed.
Nurture in adults is indeed a difficult question, although you can always observe children.
However, there's is a famous case of david reimer, better know as john/joan, who was raised as a girl after his penis was burned after a failed circumcision. He/she ended up hating being a female, in spite of being raised a such.
It's a interesting topic, but it remains difficult because it has a lot to do with how society is structured.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by caffeine, posted 03-12-2012 11:21 AM caffeine has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024