Where did male and female come from? Evolution has no explanation, but the Bible explains it in its first verses on the origin of man. God purposefully, intentionally made human beings male and female, different in body and mind. Individuals vary, but the patterns are unmistakable. Here are a few:

Reason and intuition Men are more objective and analytical. The man relies on facts and principles, and he probes a problem until he has thought it through. The woman tends to be more intuitive and perceptive, especially about people. A man without his wife’s intuition can miss what is happening with the people around him. Yet intuition without principle can be swayed by a moving story.

Big picture and details The man looks for the overview. One series of six studies by psychologists at San Francisco State University found that men communicate more abstractly than women. Women excel in the details, the practical, everyday matters that make a household, or any organization, work. A vision without attention to detail never gets built. Attention to detail without a vision can lose sight of its purpose and aim.

Decisiveness and counsel The man is more willing to make a hard call and live with it, even without all the information he would like. The woman tends to weigh more angles first—especially how a decision will affect the people involved—and she often spots consequences he overlooks. Decisiveness without counsel can be rash; counsel without decision can leave a family stuck, talking through options with no one willing to choose.

Risk and security The man is built for action: more adventurous, more daring, more willing to take risks. The woman is more security conscious. Without male daring, many great things would never be attempted. Without female caution, many more men would die attempting them. A society that values only safety stops building; one that values only daring destroys itself.

Thick skin and sensitivity The man literally has thicker skin, by roughly 25 percent, and usually a thicker psychological skin too. The woman is more sensitive. She feels criticism more deeply, but she also reads the emotional climate of a home, and remembers its emotional moments, better than her husband does. Neuroscientists have found that women retain stronger, more vivid memories of emotional events than men do.