Quote · Modern Wisdom
The Uncomfortable Science Of Sex Differences - Steve Stewart-Williams - #1120
Where this was said
The Top Difference Between Men and Women
At 28:28 · chapter starts 26:39
The nature-versus-nurture question is the hardest challenge in sex-differences research, and Stewart-Williams tackles it methodically. He concedes upfront that socialisation has a real impact — sex differences do vary in size and detail across cultures. But he argues that six independent lines of evidence collectively make a compelling case for an innate contribution. First: many sex differences appear as early as toddlerhood, before meaningful socialisation could have taken effect — including the fact that boys end up in emergency rooms from risk-taking at higher rates essentially from the moment they can move. Second: many differences appear despite cultural pressure, not because of it — parents and teachers actually tell boys off for aggression more than girls, yet the aggression gap persists and widens at puberty. Third: they are remarkably persistent over time, with the people-versus-things career interest gap stable from the early 1900s to today. Fourth: hormonal correlates are strong — women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), exposed to high prenatal testosterone, show more male-typical interests, career preferences, and rates of bisexuality. Fifth: most key differences are cross-culturally universal. Sixth and perhaps most compelling: the same patterns appear in other species subject to the same evolutionary selection pressures.
Everyone lists aggression, risk-taking, and parenting when asked about sex differences. Stewart-Williams points out the one that's hiding in plain sight: which sex each sex is attracted to. It has the clearest evolutionary rationale of all, yet it's routinely omitted from academic summaries.
