Written by one of the foremost authorities in the field, this engaging text presents the latest scientific findings on gender differences, similarities, and variations??in sexuality, cognitive abilities, occupational preferences, personality, and social behaviors. The impact of nature and nurture on gender is examined from the perspectives of genetics, molecular biology, evolutionary theory, neuroanatomy, anthropology, sociology, and psychology. The result is a balanced, fair?minded synthesis of diverse points of view. Dr. Lippa's text sympathetically summarizes each side of the nature?nurture debate, and in a witty imagined conversation between a personified "nature" and "nurture," he identifies weaknesses in the arguments offered by both sides. His review defines gender, summarizes research on gender differences, examines the nature of masculinity and femininity, describes theories of gender, and presents a "cascade model," which argues that nature and nurture constitute the threads that weave together to form the complex tapestry known as gender.