Evolution, combined with modern psychological approaches contribute to our understanding of the psychological differences between men and women.

when combined with other factors, such as an environmental approach, this can further justify the psychological differences between the two genders**

• An evolutionary approach would suggest that men tend to be more aggressive than women. This was thought to be because in prehistoric times, males committing violent acts against other males competed for the female’s attention, which led to them producing more offspring.
• However, the weakness of such an approach does not acknowledge that evolution alone is insufficient in explaining the differences between men and women.
• Environmental alongside evolutionary approaches will help modernise the psychological explanations.
• For instance, upbringing plays a major role in the psychological differences. Men are taught to be more dominant, women are taught to be more submissive.
• Culture can also influence how men and women are brought up

Evolution has caused men and women to have different psychological characteristics through biological adaptations, these have then been perpetuated by social stereotypes and cultural norms.

• Specifically, evolutionary psychology shows how males tend to be more aggressive because they can gain greater access to females by competing violently with other males.
• Similarly, males are thought to be more willing to engage in casual sex because they can greatly increase their reproductive output by doing so.
• Females are more likely to prefer a partner who is taller and of a higher status because such males are better protectors and providers.

In this sense, evolution can be seen as the roots of psychological differences between the sexes. Culture and social context, like gender stereotypes that are influenced through our upbringings both in the personal sphere by our parents and in the public sphere in popular culture, continues to maintain these differences.