ABSTRACT
To try to understand how and why men and women differ in their physiological responses to the routine demands of daily life at work and at home, and to occasional more intense life stresses, is a daunting challenge. Any efforts to address this theme must consider basic biological differences between the genders (such as reproductive functions and their hormonal components). These efforts also must deal with personality and acquired psychosocial traits that influence how the men and women perceive and respond to the events which impact their lives. In addition, such efforts must retain the flexibility to consider individual differences, which may influence why some women or men respond differently from most others of their gender. Finally, these efforts should begin to consider biologic and psychosocial transitions that occur across different periods of the adult life span.
