Ever read philosopher Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex? It came to mind today when I stumbled on this research: brain scans now prove that there's no such thing as a male or female brain. Basically, there aren't two distinct categories of brain, male and female. Instead, most brains are unique, consisting of a mix of female and male features. Beauvoir believed that perceptions on gender are not inherited through biology but are imposed on us by society, famously declaring "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman". This new neuroscience research supports the idea that gender is in fact non-binary, backing up Beauvoir's claim to a large extent.
If you're not familiar with The Second Sex, give this 2-minute animation a go:
While I'm no blank slatest, and it's pretty damn obvious that males and females are biologically distinguishable, what we become in life is hugely affected by the expectations of our culture and the myriad forces that condition us from birth. We're nowhere near understanding how complex the socialisation process is, let alone what's lurking in the domain of the psychoanalytical. But what's certain is that stereotypes around gender create assumptions of inferiority across a range of domains.
In terms of ability, think of women and maths. It's generally 'accepted' that males do maths better, yet research points to a clear correlation between boys outperforming girls and the degree of inequality in a given society. Also, various cultural mechanisms can explain why women often do not do as well as men when tested in maths. Mechanisms like stereotype bias affect learning and performance in many ways, effectively blocking individuals from reaching their potential.
As per the article on the research published in the New Scientist, “We need to start thinking a lot more carefully about how much weight we give to gender as a defining feature of human beings, and stop asking for it in situations where it simply isn’t relevant”.
Published in 1949, Beauvoir's The Second Sex offers a coherent vocabulary for analysing the social construction of femininity, as well as a basis for for critiquing such constructions. Today neuroscience makes strides in evidencing a biological basis for the inherent similarity in the potential of the sexes. This applies so directly to learning and ability. Equality isn't just an idea. Equality is.
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If you're not familiar with The Second Sex, give this 2-minute animation a go:
While I'm no blank slatest, and it's pretty damn obvious that males and females are biologically distinguishable, what we become in life is hugely affected by the expectations of our culture and the myriad forces that condition us from birth. We're nowhere near understanding how complex the socialisation process is, let alone what's lurking in the domain of the psychoanalytical. But what's certain is that stereotypes around gender create assumptions of inferiority across a range of domains.
In terms of ability, think of women and maths. It's generally 'accepted' that males do maths better, yet research points to a clear correlation between boys outperforming girls and the degree of inequality in a given society. Also, various cultural mechanisms can explain why women often do not do as well as men when tested in maths. Mechanisms like stereotype bias affect learning and performance in many ways, effectively blocking individuals from reaching their potential.
As per the article on the research published in the New Scientist, “We need to start thinking a lot more carefully about how much weight we give to gender as a defining feature of human beings, and stop asking for it in situations where it simply isn’t relevant”.
Published in 1949, Beauvoir's The Second Sex offers a coherent vocabulary for analysing the social construction of femininity, as well as a basis for for critiquing such constructions. Today neuroscience makes strides in evidencing a biological basis for the inherent similarity in the potential of the sexes. This applies so directly to learning and ability. Equality isn't just an idea. Equality is.
R U M M A G E
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Video: Why Fewer Women Succeed at the Highest Levels of Science — From a Woman Who Did
Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female - whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/simonedebe389539.htmEquality rules!
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/simonedebe389539.htmEquality rules!
Completely agree, the boys just have more confidence in saying they're better at maths but it would appear we're all pretty rubbish - just over 25% all Irish adults score at or below Level 1 for numeracy in Ireland - that means one in four can't do basic addition and subtraction.
ReplyDeleteI remember a group of classmates in secondary school who appealed vigorously for the opportunity to join the lads school up the road for Applied Maths - no dice. It always grates me hearing "but girls' brains just are systemising and good at maths'. Of course they won't be if girls are never given the opportunities to learn! Given how plastic the brain is, surely exposure (as well as the expectation of ability) is the simplest way to advance STEM for women?
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