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Men and Women are Wired Differently
Current Research on Brain Function and Gender

What is Gender
Recent research suggests that there are real biological differences in the brain structure and functioning of the male and female brain. The implications of gender specific traits of the human brain open up new questions and explanations in the differences between the behavior of men and women, and the research associated with those questions. Before exploring the research any further, one must first explore what the term "gender" really means. A clear understanding of the term and the elements that make up "male" and "female" are important before the any research can be compared and evaluated.

The origins of gender goes back to the beginning of time when men and women were differentiated from one another based on physical attributes. Blustain (2000) notes that it is really not a question as to what the gender differences are, but rather how society, and specifically men and women, deal with those differences. This has become especially difficult to do with the rise of feminism and the homosexual revolution, which are redefining those differences, and maintaining that it is society, not biology, that determines those differences.

Current research was conducted on 137 participants and the definition of the word "gender" and "sex" was explored. It was discovered that not only was this word rather ambiguous, but also can be rather "deceptive" as it seems to have different meanings to different people (Pryzgoda 2000). This has created a debate amongst some researchers as to the accuracy of the terms being used in research and how those inconsistencies can affect the outcome of research and publications. However, for the purpose of this paper, the fundamental and classical societal perspective of gender (species) will be explored.

Biologically, there are clearly many differences between the male and female genders. Specifically, and most common, is the genetic make up of the two. Marano (2003) notes that the main thing setting men and women apart begins with "two simple chromosome", which are the X&Y chromosomes. Men carry the Y chromosome, which consists of 25 genes, while the Y chromosome carried by women consists of between 1,000 to 1,500 genes. However, this by no means suggests that the male Y is weaker, when in fact the Y gene is the commander of fetal development. This Y chromosome actually carries the strong hormone testosterone, which actually is what affects

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