How neuroscience is exploding the myth of male and female brains

How neuroscience(ˌn(y)o͝orōˈsīəns)| is exploding(ikˈsplōd) the myth(miTH)| of male| and female(ˈfēˌmāl) brains(brān)

Stereotypes(ˈsterēəˌtīp,ˈsti(ə)r-)| of how biological(ˌbīəˈläjikəl) sex| influences(ˈinflo͝oəns) ability(əˈbilədē)| and behaviour(bəˈhāvyər) abound – but the latest(lāt) research| reveals(rəˈvēl) a very different story

By Gina Rippon

Men(men) are good at map-reading; women(ˈwimin ˈwo͝omən)| can’t park cars. Men are better at fixing stuff – but only one thing at a time. Women, in contrast(ˈkänˌtrast), can multitask(ˈməltēˌtask, ˈməlˌtīˌtask), and do empathy(ˈempəTHē)| and intuition(ˌint(y)o͞oˈiSHən) better, too. Just don’t ask them to think logically(ˈläjək(ə)lē) in a crisis(ˈkrīsis).

So say the stereotypes, anyway. It is a widespread(ˈwīdˈspred) idea| that men and women| are distinguished(disˈtiNGgwiSHt) not only by their genitals(ˈjenədl)| and related(rəˈlādəd) sexual(ˈsekSHo͞oəl) characteristics(ˌker(ə)ktəˈristik), but also| by their brains. Take the notorious(nōˈtôrēəs) Google internal memo(ˈmemō) from 2017, in which now ex-employee(emˈploi-ē,ˌemploiˈē) James(jāmz) Damore(dā)| asserted(əˈsərt) that there were more men| in the company’s workforce| because women’s high level of empathy| and lower interest in coding| made them less suited| to Google-type work.

According to this way of thinking, the biological blueprint(ˈblo͞oˌprint)| that determines(dəˈtərmən) fixed(fikst) and inevitable(inˈevidəb(ə)l) differences| in our reproductive(ˌrēprəˈdəktiv) apparatus(ˌapəˈradəs, ˌapəˈrādəs)| also determines similarly(ˈsimələrlē) fixed| and inevitable differences| in the structure of our brains| and how they work. If you want to know what underpins(ˌəndərˈpin) differences| between women| and men| in ability, behaviour, temperament(ˈtemp(ə)rəmənt)| and even lifestyle(ˈlīfˌstīl) choices, you will find the answers in genes(jēn), genitals and gonads(ˈgōnad).

The slow recognition(ˌrekəɡˈniSH(ə)n)| that gender identity(ˌīˈden(t)ədē)| and even biological sexual characteristics| don’t fit into a neat(nēt), binary(ˈbīnərē, ˈbīˌnərē) division(dəˈviZHən)| already calls such assumptions(əˈsəm(p)SHən) into question. Recently, too, we have begun to understand| just how plastic(ˈplastik) our brains are, capable(ˈkāpəbəl) of being moulded in all sorts of different ways throughout our lives.

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https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24132190-100-how-neuroscience-is-exploding-the-myth-of-male-and-female-brains/