What are the biological differences between men and women and how do
they come about? Beyond the obvious reproductive differences, do other
biological differences influence the behavior of women and men? For
example,
not only do women and men differ in various sex hormone levels, but
their
brains are influenced in different ways by those hormones. To what
extent
are the differences in sexual behavior among men and women due to
genetic
variation? How has our evolutionary history influenced our sexuality?
Why
are cultural sanctions against sexual “cheating” more severe for women
than men? Can we make inferences about our own sexuality by examining
mating
systems in other primates (particularly the great apes)? Our discussion
of these and other questions will be facilitated by a careful reading
of
selected evolutionary, medical, neurophysiological, and sociobiological
literature.