Men can’t multitask.
Women can’t read a map.
Even with the increased call for gender equality in modern society, there are still persistent stereotypes that focus on a divide between male and female aptitudes, attitudes and abilities. Recent psychological research seeks to answer whether these stereotypes are nothing more than a reflection of outdated societal attitudes, or whether they arose, not from popular myth, but from the human brain itself.
The first step in answering this question is to examine whether there are actually observable personality differences between males and females. A study by MCrae et al. in 2001 involved over 23,000 men and women from 26 cultures filling out personality questionnaires. McCrae et al. found that women consistently rated themselves as higher in the agreeableness and neuroticism facets of personality and one facet of openness to experience whilst men rated themselves as higher on extraversion and another facet of openness to experience. Follow up studies provided similar results even when instead of asking participants to review their own behaviour, McCrae et al. got 12,000 people from 55 cultures to rate the personality of a man or woman they knew well. This indicates that there are personality differences between men and women, so where do they arise from?
The development of research technology such as fMRI has allowed scientists to examine images of the human brain and analyse how it works when it is active. Research from this has actually been used to support some gender stereotypes. It has been discovered that on average men use 6.5x more grey matter in the brain, which is crucial in skills such as processing information, maths and… map reading! In addition, women have been found to use 10x more white matter which connects to the brain’s processing centres and is central to emotional thinking, use of language and… the ability to multitask! This shows us that there are psychological differences between men and women but where do they arise from?
Evolutionary psychologists believe that our psychological traits reflect the selection pressures experienced by our distant ancestors. More nurturing women were more likely to succeed in raising offspring whilst bolder men were more successful in competing for mates. These characteristics were then passed down by natural selection which is used to explain why women are believed to be more empathetic and men are seen as more assertive and dominant.
Another potential cause of psychological differences between men and women are cultural and societal influences. It has been proven that even in adulthood human brains are constantly changing through what is known as brain plasticity. It has been observed that the brain of a London taxi driver is structurally different when they are training, working and retired. Scientists can also track differences among people who play videogames, learn origami, or play the violin. This evidence is used to justify the perspective that neurological differences between males and females may arise from the way in which society shapes them instead of being biologically inherited. For example, in childhood males are often geared towards skills that focus on spatial ability and problem solving such as creating and playing with Lego. This is strengthening these neural pathways and changing the child’s brain. This means that any differences may be due to environment shaping the brain, not innate biological factors.
A way to analyse the way in which society shapes our brain is to examine the brains of babies which we can now do due to the development of technologies such as Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Of 21,465 studies into structural and functional measures in human infants’ brains, only 394 reported any sex differences. This suggests that the majority of neurological differences by males and females and thus, their personality differences, are not innate as evolutionary psychologists believe but are developed through societal shaping of these young brains.
Fundamentally, recent research indicates that there are psychological and neurological differences between men and women. It is still not certain how these differences arise; it could be entirely genetic or due to evolution or a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Whilst these are both plausible theories, I believe that the evidence of the way in which society moulds brains and the lack of evidence between male and female brains at birth suggests that the differences are not innate and arise from cultural influences throughout a person’s lifetime.
Do you agree or disagree? Voice your opinion in the comments…
-Hannah Hardman-Mountford