Are there gender differences in IQ? It’s pretty interesting that we as a society really focus on gender-appropriate intellect. “What does that mean?” you ask. Just that, in general, our society believes that men are smarter when it comes to math and women are smarter when it comes to verbal intelligence. Why is this?
Think back to elementary school…I know…for some of us it was longer ago than for others! I’m going to focus on the boys-are-better-at-math theory (because I’m a female). This was a time when our mathematical abilities were pretty similar across the gender board (check the research yourself!) BUT! Our teachers frequently placed different expectations on our math ability based on that gender.
We were led to believe that boys would need math in their careers and girls wouldn’t, so it was important that boys pay attention and learn math. Girls, go ahead and write your short stories. This led to a greater emphasis on boys learning math. Huh…funny how that works. It was now tied into their futures so it became important to them. Boys also had the math advantage because they had the math confidence that came from the expectation that they would do well because boys do better in math. See what I mean? Do you see where I’m going with this? Something just doesn’t seem right here. Hmmm…
Let’s move onto high school where these same expectations continued… now we begin to see significant differences in mathematical performance. But….why is this? Is it really a genetic difference that’s the cause of these differences? Or is it a difference created by societal expectations? Why can’t girls do just as well in math as boys?
I really do wonder if I could go back in time (no! I’m not going to tell you how far back!) when I was in elementary school…What would my life be like today if I had the expectation placed on me that ‘of course you will do well in math!’ ‘Why wouldn’t you?’ If nothing else, my statistics classes would have been more fun and far less anxiety provoking!
What were your math-gender experiences?
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I think an emphasis on math, or any subject for that matter, can be instilled by more than just teachers and the school environment. I can't vividly remember math being a priority or having many expectations for math place on me in school, but my father sure thought it was important. As a result, I spent hours at the kitchen table slaving (and fighting with the folks) over math problems. "It is not about getting the answer, but the process" my father used to say. I just wanted the answer! As a result of those countless hours at the kitchen table, I grew fond of math. I also grew up to get a degree in it.
So, I do agree our environment, what is deemed important, and the expectations placed on us when we are young, do play a major role in how we develop. But I ask the question, what is IQ? To say we have gender differences in IQ would assume we understand what is it means to measure IQ. I may be able to understand third-year calculus and statistics, but I most certainly can’t play an instrument or draw a beautiful picture. Does this make me more intelligent…or less intelligent?
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