Men, legend has it, are more likely to seek out casual sex than women, because they have more testosterone pumping through their bodies. But a new book by Cordelia Fine, a University of Melbourne psychologist, argues that nurture plays a bigger role in how men and women act differently than nature—as in biology, as in testosterone—according to NPR.
Fine argues that "typical" male behavior—wanting casual sex, taking risks, etc.—has more to do with how men are raised and socialized than their biological makeup. For example, Fine referred to a study on a college campus that found men were far more likely to want an unfamiliar woman to come over to their apartment than visa versa. Per her book:
What this study is actually primarily showing is women's lack of interest in being murdered, raped, robbed, or inflaming the interests of a potential stalker.... Social realities mean that women and men in these studies are simply not participating in the same experiment.
Instead of being genetically programmed to seek out less casual sex, women might see more risks in everyday life than men (especially white men) and act accordingly to limit those risks. Going to a strange man's home could definitely be a risky move. Here's another example from Fine, addressing how language about gender differences can be restrictive:
When we make a generic statement like 'men are more financially risk-taking than women,' then men's greater average testosterone exposure seems like an obvious explanation. But when we, more accurately, say, 'On some financial tasks, but not others, some men, from some cultures, in some contexts, with some pay-offs, are more financially risk-taking than some women,' we no longer think, 'It must be the testosterone!'
In a perfect world, casual sex (and financial decisions) would be low-risk for everyone, regardless of gender. The way things are going, though, we're still pretty far from that perfect world.
