Tavris argues that gender differences are due to what?

• A. Roles assigned by society.
• B. Biological differences.
• C. Educational differences.
• D. Genetic differences.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that gender differences come largely from the roles and expectations a society assigns to men and women. Tavris argues that gender is shaped through socialization—parents, schools, media, peers, and institutions transmit and reinforce ideas about what men and women should be like, what activities are appropriate, and what paths are available. As people grow up under these influences, they learn to act in ways that fit those roles, which produces apparent differences that look natural but are actually learned. This perspective is supported by cross-cultural variation and the fluidity of behavior when social conditions change, underscoring that biology is not the sole or primary determinant.

So the best answer points to the social construction of gender roles as the driving factor behind observed differences. The other options attribute differences primarily to biology, genetics, or education, which Tavris would argue are not the central forces; instead, those factors interact with or emerge within the larger framework of socially crafted roles and expectations.