Gender Tendencies

This week I wanted to talk about the characteristics that males and females have that benefit them when they are parents and spouses; both genders can add such wonderful things to their families! It should be noted however, that tendencies are spread throughout both genders. Not every person holds the stereotypes of their genders, which is a good thing! Women should be able to do masculine things and men should be able to do feminine things. In fact, I think it's important that each gender learns things from their opposite gender because it makes them a more well-rounded person. With that being said, I believe that either genders can hold any of the traits that I will be listing, but they are more prevalent and common for the gender they are listed under. It is not my intention if this post offends anyone in any way. 

Ladies First

Being a nurturer is something that seems to come naturally to women. Whether it's taking care of children, pets, and even other adults, females always seem to know what to do to take care of those around them. Here are some of the traits and tendencies that help a women to be nurturing: 

• Communicative: They know how to communicate with others both inside and outside of their family. 
• Caregiving: Like I stated earlier, women just know how to take care of those around them. 
• Emotionally expressive: Most women are more likely to wear their heart on their sleeve and share their emotions with others.
• Verbally expressive: In order to be emotionally expressive, they also need to be verbally expressive. This goes right along with being able to communicate with others; it is so so important! 
• Detail oriented: It really is the little things that matter most sometimes. Not only are women more likely to be detail oriented with projects and objects, but with people as well. I have known a fair share of women who have been able to recognize when I'm struggling or feeling sad because they've paid attention to the details in my body language and demeanor. This trait is kind of like a super power! 
• People oriented: Females are more open to cooperative play when they are children. You'll find little girls socializing, playing, and sharing with other kids. This tendency continues with them as they grow into adulthood. 
• Relationship focus: Women focus more on the relationships between two or more different people or objects. There was a study done where both genders were told to wait in a room for a certain amount of time. After the time was up they were asked to name as many objects in the room as possible. The women always named more correct objects because they memorized the objects in relation to one another. Men are more likely to see things as singular rather than in relation to something else. 
• Here's where you can watch the study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLptT1u8LWI

Now the Gentlemen 

While being a nurturer comes naturally to women, most men naturally want (and need) to provide for, preside over, and protect their families. These are the traits and tendencies that they possess that help them achieve those three goals:

• Spatial awareness/orientation: The same network that did the study talking about women and relationship focus, did a study about spatial awareness. College students of both genders were blindfolded and led through some underground hallways around their campus. After walking around blindfolded for a few minutes, the instructor of the study asked the student where a certain building was located. The men were able to correctly locate the building more than the women were able to.
• You can also watch this video with the link listed earlier.
• Independence: Men are less likely to ask for help and they enjoy doing things on their own.
• Action/Rough and Tumble play: Males are more into rough housing and action play when they are children.
• Object focus: Boys are more likely to focus on the object they are playing with, whereas girls are more focused on playing with others.
• Competitive: Men are more competitive, especially when they are children and teenagers. Being competitive, while it might have it's negative repercussions, could be seen as a positive tendency because it gives them the drive and motivation to become better versions of themselves.