Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Backback to Main menu
    • About
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City
    • Facts and Figures
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    • Contact Us
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Academics
    • Majors & Programs
    • Class Search
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Colleges
    • Academic Affairs
    • Online Learning
    • International
    • Library
  • Admissions Backback to Main menu
    • Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Financial Aid
    • Registrar
    • Visit UNO
    • Request Info
    • Apply
  • Student Life Backback to Main menu
    • Student Life
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    • Academic & Career Development Center
    • Accessibility
    • Housing & Residence Life
    • Inclusion
    • Service
    • Student Conduct & Community Standards
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Safety
    • Wellness
  • Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Engagement
    • Office of Engagement
    • Campus Resources for Community
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Volunteer and Civic Engagement Programs
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Faculty Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Voter Engagement
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
  • Athletics Backback to Main menu
    • Athletics
    • Baxter Arena
    • Omaha Mavericks Website
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2013
  4. October
  5. UNO Professor Releases Findings on Gender Roles

UNO Professor Releases Findings on Gender Roles

  • contact: Charley Reed - University Communications
  • phone: 402.554.2129
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
  • search keywords:
  • Research
Research

In 2011, UNO was classified as a doctoral/research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

A new paper published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B by a group of University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) scientists has clearly shown that 'science' has no rigid proscriptions for what male and female roles are or what they should be in nature.

In a recent interview on Fox News, conservative political blogger Erick Erickson responded to a recent Pew survey (that showed in 40 percent of American households with children, women were the major breadwinners) by stating that it was "anti-science" for society to accept this role for women. "When you look at biology, when you look at the natural world—the roles of a male and a female in society and in other animals, the male typically is the dominant role. The female, it's not antithesis, or it's not competing, it's a complementary role," Erickson said.

The UNO group, led by Jeffrey French, Varner professor of Psychology, Biology and Neuroscience at UNO, reviewed the published literature on species of mammals (the taxonomic group to which human beings belong) in which females are not only more aggressive than males, but in many cases are socially dominant over males.

"In a host of species, females are clearly dominant to males in feeding competitions, in access to preferred locations for resting and sleeping and in many other facets of social life," French said. Species in which females "rule the roost" include spotted hyenas, rock hyrax (a close relative of elephants), ring-tailed lemurs, marmosets and hamsters.

In the paper, The influence of androgenic steroid hormones on female aggression in 'atypical' mammals, French and his group, which includes graduate students Aaryn Mustoe and Jon Cavanaugh and research technician Andrew Birnie, present information on the biological origins of this sex-reversed pattern of dominance and aggression. In many cases, exposure to high levels of androgen hormones (like testosterone) during gestation or shortly after birth can 'program' the brain centers involved in regulating aggression and dominance in females, thus shaping the nature of aggression later in adulthood. Additionally, the ability to form complex coalitions among females, particularly among related individuals (mothers, daughters and granddaughters) can provide an important social route to female dominance in some species.

"In contrast to Mr. Erickson's characterization of male and female roles, our work shows that simply having XX or XY chromosomes (the sex-determining chromosomes in female and male mammals, respectively) does not dictate what an individual's social role, social status or aggression level will be," French said. "Evolution has shaped multiple manifestations of sex roles in mammals, and our review shows that many of these differences have, at their root, hormonal mechanisms. This includes diversity in sex differences in patterns of dominance and aggression, including many cases where females are both more aggressive and more dominant than males."

For more information, contact Jeffrey A. French at jfrench@unomaha.edu or at 402.490.1256.

* * *

Follow UNO's Twitter updates at http://twitter.com/unomaha. Become a fan of UNO on Facebook: www.facebook.com/unomaha.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska's metropolitan university. The core values of the institution place students at the center of all that the university does; call for the campus to strive for academic excellence; and promote community engagement that transforms and improves urban, regional, national and global life. UNO, inaugurated in 1968, emerged from the Municipal University of Omaha, established in 1931, which grew out of the University of Omaha founded in 1908.

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events
SHARE

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • #NUforNE: Keeping Nebraska Communities Healthy
  • Social Mobility, Experiential Learning Focus of Interview with UNO Chancellor Li
  • The Semester Guide
  • More Than 4,800 UNO Students Named to Dean's, Chancellor's Lists in Fall 2022

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About University Communications

  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • Report an Incident or Concern

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page