Differences in intelligence between men and women

The differences between the sexes are also reflected in the cognitive abilities of men and women.

If we look at the purely physical, in general we can say that there are some obvious differences between men and women.

The size, muscle strength, gravity and tone of voice, hair, disposition of body fat, hormonal cycles... in all these aspects we can find differences inherent to sexual dimorphism. In fact, even at the cerebral level we can find some differential aspects.

But... what happens when we talk about factors such as intelligence? Are there differences in intelligence between men and women? Are people born with one sex more mentally capable than those of the other? This is a topic that for decades has generated much controversy but has also served to initiate very interesting avenues of research.

Remembering: what is intelligence?

To be able to see if the intelligence of men and women differs or not, it is necessary first of all to remember what exactly we are talking about when we use the word "intelligence".

Although there are several positions on the subject, in general intelligence is understood as that capacity or set of capacities which allow an efficient and functional adaptation to the environment in real timeThe term "intelligence" is used to describe the capacity or set of capacities that allow an efficient and functional adaptation to the environment in real time, using correctly the available resources and elaborating different strategies according to the challenge or problem that the environment presents us with.

Thus, intelligence allows us to understand ourselves as well as the different types of stimuli that surround us, to organize our thinking, process information, reason, plan, inhibit or elaborate behaviors and procedures of action, among other things. It is a vital element for the survival and functionality of human beings in nature and in society.

Having defined intelligence in a generic way, let us return to the subject that gives title to this article: are there significant differences in this capacity between men and women?

Men and women: different or equally intelligent?

Throughout history, this ability or set of abilities has been measured through various assessment methods and mechanisms. One of the most commonly used is the use of psychometric tests, which can measure both general intelligence and its subcomponents or more specific abilities.

In the studies carried out regarding the differences between sexes in terms of intellectual capacity, it has been found that at a general level there are no significant differences, women and men being equally intelligent or rather, the level of intelligence does not depend on the Biological sex with which we were born.

Furthermore, although it has been found that men's brains are proportionally larger than women's brainsIt has been proven that the difference in size does not necessarily imply a difference in intelligence levels unless it is very pronounced.

Thus, both men and women are equally capable of adapting to the environment and establishing action plans, among many other options. However, when we look at the different capacities or subcomponents that make up what we call intelligence, we can see that there are some differences in specific aspects.

Differential aspects

Although in general we can say that men and women, as a group, have similar levels of intelligence so that neither of them is superior to the other in the overall calculation, the performance of different tests and tasks show that there are some points or elements in which one sex is slightly superior.

It also highlights the existence of differences in how intelligence is distributed, being more variable in one case than in the other.

In them: slight superiority in mathematical and visuospatial skills.

Logical-mathematical skills and especially visuospatial manipulation skills are elements in which males have generally scored higher than females. Thus in tests of logic, calculus or spatial manipulation, men tend to be better than women..

Graphic and visual material is usually better processed by men, and they also tend to be slightly better at orienting themselves in space.

In women: slight superiority in verbal and language skills.

Women have shown in the various tests conducted that they are generally more proficient in verbal and language skills than their male counterparts. They tend to be better at tasks requiring association, comprehension and expression skills.. They also tend to take slightly less time to encode information received through language.

Linked to this fact we can observe that the female sex tends to have a higher level of emotionality than the male sex. As a general rule, women tend to express themselves more and to be more conscious and expansive with their emotions, reflecting to a greater extent what, how and why they feel the way they do.

However, it is necessary to take into account that this phenomenon is also influenced by gender roles, which, among other things, penalize men who show their emotions too much.

Dispersion or homogeneity of IQ

It has been observed statistically that although men and women have the same level of intelligence, understood as general mental capacity measurable by IQ, there are differences in how it is distributed among the population.

The data show that, as a general rule, the female sex presents a lower dispersion in terms of IQ level, while the male sex tends to have a lower dispersion in terms of intelligence quotient.while the male sex tends to be much more dispersed.

This means that although there are cases of intellectual disability and giftedness in women, as a general rule their intelligence values tend to be very clustered around the average, being quite homogeneous at the population level.

As for men, most of them also have a level close to the average, but there are many more cases with extreme values both above and below the average than in women. In other words, there is much more intellectual disability and giftedness in males than in females.

Differences in the brain

At the neuroanatomical level, a number of small differences in intelligence between the sexes have been identified that may help to explain the differences found at the experimental level. There are several parts of the brain that statistically larger or smaller in one of the two sexes..

For example, the female sex generally has a greater proportion of white matter and a larger corpus callosum, which is linked to faster transmission of information between the different hemispheres and structures. In addition, the limbic system, the part of the brain that generates emotions, tends to be somewhat larger.

As far as the male sex is concerned, his brain has a greater proportion of gray matter, which is responsible for processing information once it has been sent from another part of the nervous system. Men also tend to have a larger hypothalamus.

However, we must bear in mind that what we experience and the way we act is not a unidirectional product of what we have in the brain, but that the brain is going to be affected and will be affected by what we have in the brain. will be affected and will develop as it is influenced by environmental stimulation..

Thus, if for example, a person who dedicates years to music will end up developing and strengthening certain brain locations due to training. By this I mean that, apart from anatomical differences that are mainly due to genetically inherited sexual dimorphism, some of the differences found are mediated by education, cultural and social expectations, our roles and our experiences.

The role of education and gender roles

Although the differences found have often been linked to the sex of the people studied, the fact is that socio-cultural factors play a major role in explaining them.

Thus, the differences found cannot be attributable solely to the fact of being a man or a woman, but also to the effects caused by the effects caused by the different gender roles that have been assigned to each sex must also be taken into account.. That is why research that cross-references information on the differences between men and women with that related to different cultures is very relevant, because it makes it possible to better separate genetics and gender roles.

Traditionally, the role of the male has been that of protector, that hardworking and relentless being who must bring sustenance to the home. Therefore, he must be strong and capable of dealing with the multiple problems that the environment poses, manipulating the physical environment to do so. In the case of women, their traditional role has been that of giver of life, loving housewife who takes care of her children and is dedicated to offering wellbeing at home and/or outside the home. These labels make us see that the traditional role of men has been more instrumental and that of women more emotional-relational..

Thus, throughout a large part of history, each sex has been educated in pursuit of values and customs that perpetuate these roles to a greater or lesser extent. Since childhood, different capacities have been demanded of each sex, which over time has led to differences in the way of organizing and seeing the world.

The fact that most of the differences are due to educational factors is easily visible if we take into account the current situation: with the progressive increase of equality in education and the flexibility and relaxation of gender roles, we see more and more women dedicated to more technical matters and more and more men with a high level of expressiveness and emotionality. With the passage of time, it has been observed that the differences are gradually diminishing..