Do men and women differ in any non-physical way?

Question

I'm still troubled by the reaction to Harvard's Dr. Summers. He said that it is theoretically possible that women and men have different aptitudes in science ... and nearly lost his job.

But while I don't like what he said, I respect academic freedom quite highly.

Do women and men have zero differences? Are masculinity and femininity constructs, or innate things? If “god” created differences, do the differences obey the rules of political correctness?

Is it possible that women in general would have a slight edge in learning a second language? Or that the social behavour of men, in general, differs from women?

If so, could Dr. Summers just be a way-left-field scientist, or is he a monster?

Answer 1

How can anyone answer a question asked this way? I must admit I am appalled that an obviously literate woman can seriously suspect that only a monster could theorize that men and women might, gasp, be different. There is a steady stream of scientific studies which show this to be true, and your own eyes should give you some clues.

Scientists who actually study the brain have always known that men and women's brains actually work differently for the same task. To put it more bluntly, the same task in a man and in a women use different parts of the brain.

Yet, the PC feminist jerks insist that we pretend this is not true, that men and women are really the same, that any differences are caused by our evil, sexist culture. Hogwash.

There have been plenty of studies, that women can detect odors better, and also can detect colors better than men. Women navigate differently, when driving somewhere men look for distance and direction, women look for visual clues. There are many other differences. It is insane to claim there are not, and to accuse a man of being a monster because he says "theoretically" there may be differences in aptitude in one area of study, an area of study that does not have many female students.

I have always felt, though, that the big difference is not the innate capacity of each gender, but the preferences that differ between men and women.

How many high school girls do you know who really and totally with all their heart like to do advanced math problems just for fun, as I did in high school? Years ago, when I was in a small high school, we had 8 students who took the hardest math class. One was a woman; she was brilliant. I was outraged when I discovered that women could not do all the things men did, such as advanced math. Years later, I learned Helen really didn't want to do math, she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.

If only one girl wants to do math, for each 7 boys, then most mathematicians will be men, and it will not be evil discrimination. (I know about this, because my son is a math professor, and his first Ph.D. was a woman, a very brilliant woman. His other students are all men, not by discrimination but by their choice.)

There has been a lot of publicity about women going to college and taking completely different courses then men take. Women are much more likely to take things like Literature or Sociology, then blame evil discrimination when they find that job market is flooded with no job opportunities.

How long must we put up with this totally unrealistic view of the genders? If a woman, for example, who really does like math and has an aptitude for it, can indeed become a math Ph.D, than all this folderol about lack of total equality simply because fewer women than men choose to become mathematicians is really insane.

Answer 2

There are obvious biological differences between men and women, as any 2-year-old can tell you. Besides common knowledge, studies of the brain show that the brains of men and women work differently. And why shouldn't they? One doesn't work "better" than the other, just differently, on average. No matter what generalizations you make, there will always be a man or a woman who defies all generalizations. But ON AVERAGE, it's very clear that men and women are different. Radical feminism has so gripped the far left higher education communities however, that they're afraid to say so. You saw the reaction to Dr. Summers. He wasn't advocating social change or even saying he believed this-- he only said it was POSSIBLE, and he was viciously attacked for saying so. What happened to him wasn't science; the people who attacked him were behaving more like religious fanatics. Religions require you to accept their dogma without questioning it; religions forbid raising "theoretical possibilities" contrary to their beliefs. Science, real science, does not. A true scientist who disagreed with Dr. Summers would say, "No, it's not a possibility, and here's why..." Instead, they immediately fell back on name-calling and bullying. Dr. Summers acted more a scientist than any of his attackers.

Answer 3

There is an article in Scientific American that came out early this year, please read it. It highlights differences between female n male brain. Emotion and cognitive centers in the brain in men are separated, while in women they are deeply connected by neurons. this explains why women feel more and need to express themselves articulately, hence the edge in languages. Men sometimes dont get it in relationships because of their straight logical and linear approach to problem solving which doesnt work in relationships.... Some differences are very real, like mars and venus kinds, yet we haev to live with them. There are also differences in sizes of hippocampus, and amygdala (memory and emotion.reaction centers)/
However, turning to Dr Summer's inappropriate remark.
The aptitude of any woman should be rated on her performance in a discipline irrespective of sex. Dr Summers statement was a sorry reflection of academics who think such. But the tenure process in academia is heavily biased and not favorable to women. An article in New England last week talks about it.

Answer 4

Excellent question. I'm not an authority so this is just an opinion. I believe that women can academically achieve anything a man can. However, women are hardwired a little differently. They have a tendency to approach life on a more emotional level, thus their need for intimacy is greater. They are also more nurturing--the "mom" thing--and for the most part, their need for community (a close group of friends and family) is greater than that of a man.

All of the above has nothing to do with intellectual prowess but is simply a different way of approaching life.

Answer 5

I believe that men and women have been created in such a way that they not only have physical diferences but also inante diferences. You just observe a girl and a boy borought up in the same circumstances. They react differently to the same issue this is not because man is superior and woman is inferior it is due to that innate difference. Though many wont admit it is the woman who has superior powers they bring up men to be what they are. Like the saying the tree that bears fruit bends the women have allowed the men to rule that itself is a tactics dont you agree? so dont be upset by what Dr.summers said it is his theory and it is the difference in the make of men and women that makes this world what it is.

Answer 6

1. Perhaps it's been a case, not of aptitude, but opportunity.
2. He should have lost his job.
3. We don't have zero differences, but why shouldn't we celebrate the differences and stop trying to beat each other over the head with them?
4. I don't think he's a monster, just a jack-***.

Answer 7

He's a man that simply stated the results of true statistics, and was shunned for it. He was only attempting to explain why men, by and by, advance farther in mathematics than women. As I've said, "Political Correctness" is really "Political Control".

Did these same feminists have a fit when statistics showed that 54% of all college students were female? Of course not. They don't mind the truth as long as the truth pleases them.

Answer 8

The problem is that we know full well that at least SOME of "masculinity" and "femininity" is a construct, and as long as they exist there's no way to even find out if there are any legitimate differences. You're also ignoring transgender people (unless you're referring strictly to chromosomes; in which case you're ignoring intersex people); where would they fit in the grand dichotomy?

Gender is AT LEAST societal in nature, and until that paradigm is abolished, we won't really know what else might lie behind it.

Answer 9

I think it's ridiculous to insist that men and women are no different mentally and emotionally. Our hormones are different, our brains are wired differently, many things about us are different. Why wouldn't our academic aptitudes be different as well? I feel badly for the Dr. who was criticized for saying what is probably very true.

Answer 10

When women whine, they just want a sympathetic ear, unlike men who want a solution, so the good doctor is right. Why should women be like men anyway? Viva La Differance.