Developmental Biology : Introduction to Core Concepts for the Lesson
Biological differences between females and males, in interaction with their physical, social, and psychological environments, result in different developmental trajectories for women and men from the moment of conception through senescence and death. Scientists should account for these sex and gender differences in every phase of their work.
Essential Definitions Sex: The classification of living things, generally as male or female, according to their reproductive organs and functions assigned by chromosomal complement. Gender: A person's self-representation as male or female, or how that person is responded to by social institutions based on the individual's gender presentation. Gender is rooted in biology and shaped by environment and experience.1
This lesson presents the basic facts necessary for understanding how females and males differ. For ease of explanation, the developmental elements are presented sequentially and as parallel processes, but in fact the human develops as a whole with each of his or her many systems growing in interaction with others. An especially important component in the development of health and well-being is the population environment in which the individual interacts. The striking social and economic differences between segments of the population correspond to different levels of health and well-being. This effect occurs for physical and mental health and for a wide range of developmental outcomes across the lifespan.2
This lesson presents four developmental segments:
