Zachary Elliott

The Gender Paradox: Discrimination and Disparities in the Postmodern Era Zachary Elliott

Explore the origins and composition of sex and gender through a scientific lens; understand the doctrines of social constructionism; and discover how the forces of biology, psychology, and society form the similarities and differences within and between men and women. Social constructionism tells us that men and women are not born different but are made different through socialization. Yet something strange has happened: across the world's most egalitarian liberal democracies, the differences between men and women have not gone away. Paradoxically, gender differences in personality, interests, and occupational preferences have grown larger in the most gender-equal societies. Rather than using a one-dimensional theory, we'll explore how this Gender Paradox is formed through the complex interaction of biology, psychology, and society.