Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences

by Cordelia Fine

we find that what is being chalked up to hardwiring on closer inspection starts to look more like the sensitive tuning of the self to the expectations lurking in the social context.

a stereotype is essentially a statement about dominance or status.’

Roger, in retail, found that now that he is a man people bypass his female boss and beeline straight to him with their questions.

the people who were most convinced of their own objectivity discriminated the most.

After that – when she starts to earn more than him – something very curious starts to happen. The more she earns, the more housework she does.3

There’s something a little shocking about the discrepancy between the weakness of the scientific data on the one hand and the strength of the popular claims on the other.

‘influences have been assumed to exist despite a lack of consistent supporting data.’46 To offer just one comical example, various studies have found that higher testosterone levels are associated with better mental rotation performance, worse mental rotation performance or equal mental rotation performance.

this educational consultant has been informing audiences that girls see the details while boys see the big picture because the ‘crockus’ – a region of the brain that does not exist – is four times larger in girls than in boys.26

Barbie Magazine, three-quarters of the content of which is devoted to (in order of greatest to least prevalence) crushes, celebrities, fashion and beauty.

But also, to those interested in gender equality there is nothing at all frightening about good science. It is only carelessly done science, or poorly interpreted science, or the neurosexism it feeds, that creates cause for concern.