Gender differences 101 Physical: Earlier physical maturation for girls by about 1 ½ years (early/later maturation linked to social/emotional outcomes) Males more muscle mass, females higher body fat Quite similar until puberty Males excel at activities require power, females, fine motor

Gender differences 101 Achievement/learning Boys more likely to attribute academic success to skill and effort, girls to luck Boys attribute failure to lack of effort, girls to outside factors. In classrooms: boys ask and are asked more questions. Also asked questions in more challenging ways. Boys higher dropout rates, referral to office rates, placement in special ed. Gender-typed academic interested: math/computers for males; literature and the arts for females IQ tests show slight strengths in spatial reasoning for males and language reasoning for females Males—higher stated career expectations; girls more likely to see selves as college- bound, but choose careers to accommodate family Girls—take more time with homework, appear to have higher academic motivation, take fewer risks on assignments

Gender differences 101 Social/emotional Sort into gendered play groups by age 4 or so Girls tend to learn better in cooperative rather than cooperative groups Males & females exhibit higher self-esteem for gender- specific tasks: females for interpersonal situations; boys for problem-solving and control situations. Given similar skill levels, boys rate selves more highly than girls Boys more overt aggression, girls equally aggressive, but in more passive ways Girls have more an closer interpersonal relationships and are more sensitive to social cues.