The Myth of Gender Differences in Intelligence
August 2019 (Wall Street International)* — Men who have been thought of as philosophers and scientists have generated and perpetuated the myth that men and women are essentially different. Supposedly, men understand how to build and work with systems, while women are better empathizers. Many believe that males and females can be easily differentiated based on their intelligence, aggressiveness, mechanical skills, spatial visualization, empathy, agreeableness, communication skills and other characteristics1,2
On the other hand, gender is a social construct that creates “expectations concerning the roles, identities, and behaviors associated with being either female or male” 5. “Both sex and gender can affect brain and behavior, either independently or in interaction” 5.
The belief that hardwired differences in male and female brains exist has caused extensive damage2. The self-fulfilling prophecy of differences helps drive prejudicial attitudes and differences in how boys and girls are taught from the earliest ages. There are few, if any limits to mental ability that are imposed by biology or genetics. Instead, there are “restrictions imposed by society”2.
Myths and responsibilities
It’s important to expose dangerous myths, while understanding that girls and women can do anything that boys and men can do. We must realize this. The health of the planet and human civilization depend on it. The same misogynistic attitude that treats women as commodities to be used and discarded treats the environment the same way.
As described in Trends in Cognitive Sciences by Rebecca Jordan-Young, Anelis Kaiser, Cordelia Fine and Gina Rippon, scientists who are studying sex differences have an important responsibility6. They must realize “how social assumptions influence their research and, indeed, public understanding of it” 6. They must “recognize that there are important and exciting opportunities to change these social assumptions through rigorous, reflective scientific inquiry and debate” 6.
One assumption that should be challenged is that one’s intelligence and behavior are static or hardwired by the genes we inherit from our parents. We should also challenge the terrible way results are often portrayed – for example: “New study finds that men are systematic and women are empathetic” or “Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus”.
If all men are from Mars (the ancient Roman god of war), while all women are from Venus (the goddess of love), what planets were Dr. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi from?
