Testosterone, Gendered Behavior, and Societal Norms

The role that biological differences between males and females may play in shaping gendered behavior is sharply contested in contemporary social science. This article examines two major works representing contrasting positions in the controversy: Sociologist Cordelia Fine’s Testosterone Rex: Myths of Science, Sex, and Society and evolutionary biologist Carole Hooven’s T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us. The essay examines the relevant claims and evidence in each text and situates them within the wider ideological debate over gender inequality. It is concluded that the evidence Hooven marshals on the influence of testosterone on gendered behavior, sexuality, and identity is compelling, while Fine fails to adequately demonstrate what she views as the overwhelming role of socialization