How are men's and women's behavior similar and how are they different? Gendered behavior is best understood as a product of social roles within a society. For example, consider men's and women's roles in Westernized societies--men are still more likely than women to be employed outside the home, and women are more likely to be caretakers of children. These gender roles, or sex-typed expectations, influence men's and women's psychology through social interactive, self-regulatory, and hormonal factors. This model can account for sex differences in mate preferences, behavioral styles in groups, experience of emotion, and group performance.

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Eagly, A. H., Wood, W., & Johannnesen-Schmidt, M. C. (2004). The social role theory of sex differences and similarities: Implications for partner preference. In A. H. Eagly, A. Beall, & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Psychology of gender (2nd ed, pp. 269-295). New York: Guilford. [request paper]

Eagly, A. H., Wood, W., & Diekman, A. (2000). Social role theory of sex differences and similarities: A current appraisal. In T. Eckes & H. M. Trautner (Eds.), The developmental social psychology of gender (pp. 123-174). [request paper]

Boldry, J., Wood, W., & Kashy, D. (2001). Sex stereotypes and the evaluation of men and women in military training. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 689-706. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. [request paper]

Wood, W., Christensen, P. N., Hebl, M. R., & Rothgerber, H. (1997). Sex-typed norms, affect, and the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 523-535. [request paper]

Shackelford, S., Wood, W., & Worchel, S. (1996). Behavioral styles and the influence of women in mixed-sex groups. Social Psychology Quarterly, 59, 284-293. [request paper]

Grossman, M., & Wood, W. (1993). Sex differences in emotional intensity: A social role explanation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1010-1022. [request paper]

Wood, W., Rhodes, N., & Whelan, M. (1989). Sex differences in positive well-being: A consideration of emotional style and marital status. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 249-264. [request paper]