An Examination of the Cause of Gender Differences in Aggression and Violent Behavior Through Sociocultural and Biological Factors
An Examination of the Cause of Gender Differences in Aggression and Violent Behavior through Sociocultural and Biological Factors
It may not come as a surprise to many that there exists a significant difference in the gender of perpetrators of violent crimes. For example, in tracking the perpetrators of homicide in the United States by gender and year, one can find that males outnumber females many times over, with over 15,000 more males than females committing homicide in the early 1990’s (Fox & Zawiz, 2004). While it seems concreted that males perpetrate more violent acts than females, the data still shows at least 1,000 females a year behind violence. The question that arises from these findings concerns the reason for such a large gap between genders, and what facilitates it. Two popular lenses than can be compared in examining the question lie in the studies of sociological and biological influences on men and women – more specifically what influences women to be so much less violent than men given the statistics. It is important to consider learning experiences, either through natural instincts or facilitated through social means, and the history of individuals among their families. One of the aforementioned lenses has a much larger impact on creating differences in violent dispositions amongst men and women, and there is a vast array of evidence from which to draw upon for support.
A good starting point can be found in first, examining the biological factors that influence both genders, predating social construct since the first human beings appeared on the planet. The study conducted by Maccoby and Jacklin c. 1974 showed that differences in both physical and verbal aggression begin to surface early on in life, between the ages of 2 and 3, and continues throughout growth (Cummings, Iannotti, & Zahn-Waxler, 1989). These findings suggest a certain preprogrammed level of aggression that is higher in males, and perhaps evidence of violence as
It may not come as a surprise to many that there exists a significant difference in the gender of perpetrators of violent crimes. For example, in tracking the perpetrators of homicide in the United States by gender and year, one can find that males outnumber females many times over, with over 15,000 more males than females committing homicide in the early 1990’s (Fox & Zawiz, 2004). While it seems concreted that males perpetrate more violent acts than females, the data still shows at least 1,000 females a year behind violence. The question that arises from these findings concerns the reason for such a large gap between genders, and what facilitates it. Two popular lenses than can be compared in examining the question lie in the studies of sociological and biological influences on men and women – more specifically what influences women to be so much less violent than men given the statistics. It is important to consider learning experiences, either through natural instincts or facilitated through social means, and the history of individuals among their families. One of the aforementioned lenses has a much larger impact on creating differences in violent dispositions amongst men and women, and there is a vast array of evidence from which to draw upon for support.
A good starting point can be found in first, examining the biological factors that influence both genders, predating social construct since the first human beings appeared on the planet. The study conducted by Maccoby and Jacklin c. 1974 showed that differences in both physical and verbal aggression begin to surface early on in life, between the ages of 2 and 3, and continues throughout growth (Cummings, Iannotti, & Zahn-Waxler, 1989). These findings suggest a certain preprogrammed level of aggression that is higher in males, and perhaps evidence of violence as