Differentiation Between the Male and Female Brain.
Battle of the sexes is an all too familiar term in our modern society. It seems that we constantly emphasize and exploit differences between men and women. The defining feature, true across all species, that makes males and females what they are is gamete production. Aside from this, however, human males and females differ in several observable biological ways. There are obvious physical differences in body hair, fat distribution, strength, muscle mass, and genitals. Differences in behavior have also come to be considered biological by some scientists through various studies and observations of young children (How to Build a Human 2002). We have also begun to look to the brain in search of sexual differentiation. In the early 1900s, alleged discoveries of sexual dimorphism in the brain were used to prove women as being inferior (Swabb & Hofman, 1984). More recent research, however, has lost this discriminatory aspect. This paper outlines the many ways in which the male and female brain are different. These aspects vary from differences in the physical make-up of the brain, to differences in parts that are used for specific tasks, to areas that allow for better abilities in one sex over the other. In no way do these differences suggest superiority of one sex over the other. Discoveries of sexual differentiation in the brain gives us a more in depth look into what makes us who we are.
Males and females have physical differences, not only in body appearance, but in their brains as well. The most agreed upon difference is in the connections between the hemispheres. The corpus callosum is a thick band of fibers that serves as the major connector of the left and right hemispheres of the brain (http://biology.about.com). Many scientists claim that this area is larger in female brains, but there are some disagreements lying within this statement.
