#1264 Steve Stewart-Williams: A Billion Years of Sex Differences
Dr. Steve Stewart-Williams is Professor of Psychology at University of Nottingham Malaysia. His research revolves around the idea that theories from evolutionary biology can shed light on human psychology. In particular, he’s interested in the evolutionary origins of altruistic behavior and human sex differences. His latest book is A Billion Years of Sex Differences: How Evolution Shaped the Minds of Men and Women.
In this episode, we focus on A Billion Years of Sex Differences. We start by discussing what sex differences are, why they matter, and the best ways of studying them. We talk about people who minimize or exaggerate sex differences, and five positions in the nature-nurture debate surrounding sex differences. We discuss limitations with behavioral genetics, cross-cultural evidence, and cross-species evidence. We talk about the most robust sex differences, and we debate educational and occupational choices. We discuss whether sex differences can be compatible with feminism. We talk about the evolution of sex differences. We discuss how to think about intersex people, trans people, and non-binary people. Finally, we talk about the best approach to deal socially with sex differences.
Time Links:
Intro
What are sex differences, and why do they matter?
How to study sex differences
The “minimizers” and the “exaggerators” of sex differences
Five positions in the nature-nurture debate surrounding sex differences
Behavioral genetics
Cross-cultural evidence, and human universals
Cross-species evidence
The most robust sex differences
Educational and occupational differences
There is lots of overlap between the sexes
Feminism
The evolution of sex differences
Intersex people, trans people, and non-binary people
What is the best approach to deal socially with sex differences?
Follow Dr. Stewart-Williams’ work!
Follow Dr. Stewart-Williams’ work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/yda8fu6f
Personal website: https://www.stevestewartwilliams.com/
ResearchGate profile: https://tinyurl.com/y9n8qldt
A Billion Years of Sex Differences:
Twitter handle: @SteveStuWill