Women prepare better for pain, Berkley asserted. They plan tactics to handle it. Even young boys and girls often differ in how they perceive and cope with pain. Many cultures around the world permit girls to be emotional, but discourage boys from showing pain. These attitudes then are carried into adulthood.
Gender differences are a relatively new focus for research.
Until recently, scientists seeking to standardize data used only male animals in most laboratory studies of pain. In this way, they eliminated variations induced by normal, cyclic changes in female reproductive hormones. Gender differences are a new focus for research Many trials of new medications and other treatments excluded women, too. Potential harm to the fetus in pregnant women remains a concern. Some scientists claimed, however, that designing complex studies to include female animals and women would be too costly.