ABSTRACT
In this book we have set out to overcome the compartmentalization of gender research into developmental and social psychological approaches. Rather than simply adding the two, we have aimed at an integrative account focusing on the dynamic interrelation between developmental change and social influence. To accomplish this task, we have chosen to adopt a multidimensional, multilevel conceptual framework that is based on the general view of gender as a social category. Thus, our main interest has not been in the classical question of sex differences research, asking whether, and how much, males and females differ in a number of psychological variables, but rather in the questions of how, when, and why it makes a difference to be male or female—seeking answers at the individual, the interpersonal, the group, and the cultural level.
