Book Review: Why Gender Matters

In this fascinating book, Why Gender Matters:  What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences, author Leonard Sax discusses the differences between girls and boys, how they are built differently and subsequently perceive, learn, and behave differently.  Here are just a few interesting topics covered: 

Apparently, girls’ hearing is more sensitive than boys’ at the frequencies required for speech.  {tobuy}This could be why teachers so often think that boys in their classrooms have ADHD. 

The female retina is wired to more cones, which detect texture and color.  The male retina is wired to more rods, which detect motion in black and white.  The author observes that newborn girls prefer to look at faces, while newborn boys prefer to look at mobiles.  Most girls like to draw people, pets, flowers, and trees in many (>10) warm (red, green, beige, brown) colors, while boys will often draw action scenes with rockets and cars in fewer (<6) colder colors (blue, gray, silver, black).  Also, girls often prefer to play with dolls and baby strollers, while boys often prefer balls, trains, and cars.  The author suggests that there could be a scientific basis for this.

The parts of the brain involved in language and fine motor skills mature earlier in girls.  The parts of the brain involved in targeting and spatial memory mature earlier in boys.  Some boys are not ready for reading and writing in Kindergarten.  Boys and girls can learn the same things, but they learn best in different ways.  The author feels that single-sex schools could be a better choice for our kids.

Dr. Sax covers a number of other topics, including risk-taking, aggression, sex, drugs, and discipline, citing differences between boys and girls, and how best to guide them individually, as parents.

What gender differences do you see in your kids?

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