It is evident that certain physical, hormonal, and other biological differences exist between males and females, most of which are present during the lifespan. Beginning with the first developmental stages, girls and boys may face various functional, cognitive, skeletal, hormonal, and metabolic changes. It also generally means that they do not have similar needs and abilities, as well as a predisposition to diseases. The purpose of this paper is to review the four major groups of changes in men and women.
Cognitive Changes
Males
Men’s normal aging process involves specific cognitive changes that do not severely interfere with their daily activities. According to the National Institute on Aging, older males have “overall steeper rates of cognitive decline in areas of mental status, perceptuomotor speed and integration, and visuospatial ability.” Older men tend to think slower, require more time for processing and decision-making, and face more challenges in verbal fluency (Jockwitz et al. 7). Minor issues with maintaining attention are also considered a norm. However, if males develop dementia or Alzheimer’s, their cognitive impairments become much worse. Researchers note that since their overall cognitive reserve is greater than in women (some scientists, like Levine et al., believe females’ cognitive reserve is greater), women’s cognitive abilities are affected more severely (Laws et al. 60).
Females
In general, females may face faster cognitive decline during normal aging. As stated by researchers, “older women perform better in verbal fluency, verbal episodic memory, processing speed and interference” than men but also face difficulty dealing with “visual and visual-spatial working memory tasks” (Jockwitz et al. 7). Further, researchers are not sure about gender differences in people with Alzheimer’s disease, but some state that AD females “manifest a more profound impairment of semantic memory” (Laws et al. 60). Women are more frequently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, having their cognitive abilities declining greatly.
Hormonal Changes
Males
Generally, the first hormonal changes in boys start at the age of nine with the enlargement of the testes, scrotum, and, later, the penis. A young boy’s brain tells the testicles to produce testosterone and sperm, and there are also other hormones made by the adrenal glands, leading to the beginning of pubic hair growth (Marcin). Erections become more frequent, and ejaculations can also happen. Then, underarm and beard area hair appears, and some young boys may experience gynecomastia – temporary breast growth. Voice cracks, body shape changes due to weight and muscle mass gain, and acne and body odor are also caused by hormones (Marcin). Testosterone and human growth hormone are developed most between ages eighteen and twenty-five. Then the production decreases each decade, and between one’s thirties and forties, symptoms like increased fat, seep issues, reduced sex drive, and other unpleasant changes appear.
Females
Most females’ hormonal changes begin between of ages of nine to eleven, when the first signs of breasts start to form, with the expanding darker areas around the nipples. According to Anzilotti, “the hormones tell the ovaries to make the hormone estrogen and triggers the growth and release of eggs.” The uterus enlarges, and pubic hair appears on the lips of the vulva (Marcin). Hips widen, weight and muscle mass gains make the body shape change, and the first menstruation happens between the ages of nine and sixteen (Anzilotti). Around age fifteen, young girls have fully developed genitals and reproductive organs. In a woman’s twenties, her hormone levels become more normal, which may once again cause body shape changes, as well as make menstruation regular (Marcin). Later, hormone production will decrease, and menopause will begin, meaning that a woman’s ovaries are no longer make enough female hormones and stop producing eggs.
Body Changes
Males
There are specific changes in skin, skeleton, and Activities of Daily Living that men face over time. First, due to the production of testosterone and some other hormones, males’ facial skin becomes thicker after puberty, but this thickness reduces linearly with age. Men are more likely to have pigmentation and wrinkles as they age, and while they tend to have higher levels of collagen, these rates constantly reduce, and skin becomes less firm (Rahrovan et al. 129). Further, at birth, boys have a larger skeleton, and during the longer prepubertal growth, they develop greater bone size and taller stature. Noticeably, with aging, “men lose trabecular bone primarily by thinning of trabeculae” (Farr and Khosla 513). Finally, boys start developing independence in their Activities of Daily Living slightly later than young girls, and approximately after the age of fifty, they usually have more negative functional changes, losing their independence and abilities.
Females
Women’s skin changes faster and more evidently because of lower collagen levels. The epidermis thins, and the skin becomes paler, but thickness remains constant until the age of fifty (Rahrovan et al. 129). Further, at the birth stage, girls usually already have slightly wider pelvises and torsos, which is explained by their abilities to carry a child and give birth. Changes in skeleton appear in girls earlier but are more gradual, and in their twenties, women generally achieve their peak bone mass. In their thirties, females experience age-related bone loss because of the rapid reductions in estrogen. Noticeably, this hormone also allows teenage girls to better regulate bone mineral levels (Farr and Khosla 515). Lastly, girls gain relative independence in Activities of Daily Living easier and quicker than boys, and these functions change much later.
Metabolism
Males
Due to men being, in general, larger than women and having greater muscle mass, they require higher calorie intakes. Increasing during puberty and declining with age, males’ metabolisms are usually still faster than women’s, meaning that men face fewer challenges when trying to lose weight (Shoppe). If a man exercises regularly, he requires much more protein intake. Interestingly, males store fewer and require more carbohydrates, and nutrients like iron and calcium are also of vital importance, though not as much as for females.
Females
Overall, women have slightly different nutritional and metabolic needs, especially because of having menstruation and the tendency to gain weight easily. One of the key requirements for females’ daily nutrient intake is that they need greater amounts of iron, primarily due to monthly losses in the blood (Shoppe). Further, while women do not require severely higher intakes of proteins, they need to receive enough fats in order to maintain their regular menstruation and reproductive health (Shoppe). Calcium is also important for females because they are at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis. Since an average woman’s body stores increased amounts of fat to be ready for pregnancy and giving birth, metabolism is slower, and it is more difficult for the female to lose weight, meaning that daily calorie intake should not be very high (Shoppe). At the same time, during pregnancy, metabolic rates increase, and the woman needs more nutrients.
Works Cited
Anzilotti, Amy W. “Understanding Puberty.” Kids Health. Web.
Farr, Joshua N., and Sundeep Khosla. “Skeletal Changes Through the Lifespan–from Growth to Senescence.” Nature Reviews Endocrinology, vol. 11, no. 9, 2015, pp. 513-521.
Jockwitz, C., et al. “Cognitive Profiles in Older Males and Females.” Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, pp. 1-13.
Laws, Keith R., et al. “Sex Differences in Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease.” World Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 6, no. 1, 2016, pp. 54-65.
Levine, Deborah A., et al. “Sex Differences in Cognitive Decline Among US Adults.” JAMA Network Open, vol 4, no. 2, 2021.
Marcin, Ashley. “Navigating Puberty: The Tanner Stages”. Healthline. Web.
National Institute on Aging “Age-Related Cognitive Decline: Women are More Resilient than Men.” NIH. Web.
Rahrovan, S., et al. “Male Versus Female Skin: What Dermatologists and Cosmeticians Should Know.” International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, vol. 4, no. 3, 2018, pp. 122-130.
Shoppe, Savannah. “What is Metabolism?” An Ecological Approach to Obesity and Eating Disorders, edited by Zach Harley et al., Clemson University, 2020.