ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the interconnections between sex, gender, and cognitive-mapping ability from a number of complementary disciplinary perspectives. Sex differences in spatial abilities are said to have evolved as a function of the historical division of labour, with males in most cultures assuming primary responsibility for hunting activity, and females for food gathering. Numerous studies have searched for evidence of cross-cultural consistency to provide support for the biological basis of sex differences in spatial ability. A controversy in the literature which is almost as divisive as the scholars’ quest to ‘best’ define the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ is the question of whether it is appropriate to focus on difference. Fausto-Sterling suggests that ‘the development of scientifically sound theories about the evolution of human behavioural patterns and their relationship to contemporary behaviour could emerge from collaborations between social scientists, evolutionists, and behavioural biologists’.
