Biological Limits of Gender Construction

By J. Udry. American Sociological Review, 2000

252 citations recorded by the source corpus.

A biosocial theory of gender is constructed on both the macro and micro levels. A micro-model of within-sex differences among females integrates the biological model current in primatology with the prevailing social science model. It shows how sex differences in hormone experience from gestation to adulthood shape gendered behavior (that is, behavior that differs by sex). On the macro level, this model also illustrates how socialization and environment shape gendered behavior. It then demonstrates how hormone experiences can facilitate or dampen the effects of socialization and environment on gendered behavior. Data are from a sample of women who were studied from before they were born to the end of their third decade. I speculate about the constraints placed by biology on the social reconstruction of gender.

Subfields: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Gender Studies, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6bccf940f666df8d8be654c13637618852b64844

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

In Gender Studies

In Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Citations in the corpus

Testosterone and domain-specific risk: Digit ratios (2D:4D and rel2) as predictors of recreational, financial, and social risk-taking behaviors (2011, background): “Prenatal testosterone exposure influences fetal brain organization and future sexually differentiated behaviors (Archer, 2006; Auyeung et al., 2009; Udry, 2000).”
Gender and Religiousness: Can Socialization Explanations Be Saved?1 (2002, background): “And third, there is mounting evidence based on biological studies of hormone effects (see Udry 1988, 2000; Collaer and Hines 1995; Booth and Dabbs 1993; Dabbs and Morris 1990; Julian and McKenry 1989) that testosterone levels are strongly related to impulsive, risky behavior.”
Testosterone and Social Behavior (2006, background): “For example, higher levels of testosterone are positively related to interest in masculine activities in pre-pubertal females (McHale et al. 2004) and to resistance to parental socialization efforts encouraging feminine behavior (Udry 2000).”
Entrepreneurs and Evolutionary Biology: The Relationship between Testosterone and New Venture Creation. (2006, background): “Biosocial theory and research is just beginning to explore these rich interrelationships (Udry, 2000).”
Hardwired for Sexism? Approaches to Sex/Gender in Neuroscience (2012, background): “In particular, the notion of innate sex differences has led both lay observers and some scientists to suggest that social policies directed towards gender equity in education, occupation, or other aspects of social life are either useless or actually damaging [81–83].”
Explaining the Gender Gap in Help to Parents: The Importance of Employment (2004, background): “Some of these theories attribute gaps to an essential gender dichotomy rooted in biology (for reviews, see Epstein, 1988; Marini, 1990; Udry, 2000).”
Rethinking women's sexual orientation: An interdisciplinary, relationship-focused approach (2001, unknown): “This research indicates that prenatal hormones do have modest masculinizing effects on some aspects of women’s behavior, including their childhood play preferences and selfreports of sex-typed behavior in adulthood (e.g., Collaer & Hines, 1995; Udry, 2000).”
The Evolution of Culturally-Variable Sex Differences: Men and Women Are Not Always Different, but When They Are…It Appears Not to Result from Patriarchy or Sex Role Socialization (2015, background): “…ProofNo: 1 112 113 114 115 A ut ho r's P ro UN CO RR EC TE D PR OO F 511 The Evolution of Culturally-Variable Sex Differences… be highly feminine; Udry 2000) and studies that show gene variants and biomarkers linked to brain masculinization influence transsexualism in predictably ways in adults…”