What Makes Men And Women Different? - Dr Carole Hooven

Hooven argues maternal care is deeply rooted in mammalian biology: in ~95% of mammals, females provide nearly all parental care, and we understand hormonal and neural mechanisms (e.g., oxytocin, dopamine) that support maternal motivation. Recognizing this does not mean women must mother in any prescribed way or surrender career ambitions.

Hooven insists we do not need to distort or deny biological reality (e.g., sex differences, maternal instinct) to argue for equal rights or opportunities. Descriptive claims about how males and females evolved are distinct from normative decisions about laws, roles, or moral rights.

Despite variation in gender expression and rare intersex conditions, humans—like other mammals—have two sexes defined by gamete type (sperm vs. ova). Most so‑called “intersex” individuals are still clearly male or female; extremely rare cases with mixed gonadal tissue do not invalidate the overall two‑sex structure.

In males, testosterone shapes genital development, muscle mass, strength, risk-taking, competitiveness and sexual motivation, aligning body and behavior to maximize reproductive opportunities. In involved fathers, testosterone typically drops, facilitating nurturing behavior—showing hormone effects are context-sensitive, not monolithically ‘toxic’.

Many females transitioning to male report a shocking surge in libido and more objectified sexual focus on body parts, along with newfound empathy for how powerful male sexual drive can feel. Some also describe changes in emotional range and orgasm quality, underscoring the hormonal underpinnings of sex differences.

Boys’ greater rough-and-tumble play and girls’ relatively higher interest in infants mirror patterns in other mammals and can be altered in animals by manipulating early testosterone. In humans, girls exposed to higher prenatal and perinatal testosterone show more ‘boy-typical’ play and interests, suggesting biology precedes and shapes cultural norms.

Meta-analytic evidence shows physical strength/muscularity strongly predicts men’s mating and reproductive success; grip strength in particular correlates with number of sexual partners and better mood/less depression. Facial masculinity and digit ratios, often hyped as signals, show weaker or no consistent predictive power.