Re: Male & Female Differences
I don't know why people would fight this.
I do.
Although there are measurable differences between males and females (and between races, let's not forget) in terms of specific strengths (e.g., females better at small-muscle tasks; males better at large-muscle tasks), I think it unwise -- no, let's say dangerous -- to make too much of them.
In the first place, as I have noted before, these are broad statistical generalizations, that apply to whole groups. They do not necessarily apply to specific individuals within those groups. Males have female hormones; women have male hormones. We are all a "mix," and individuals fall along a broad spectrum.
Secondly -- and again I repeat myself -- there is the nature vs. nurture problem. It is not always possible to determine how much is "nature" (i.e., innate) and how much is "nurture" (acquired; determined by society).
The danger is in adopting social/educational policies based on the assumption that females will not be able to excel at certain things, and that men will not be able to excel at certain other things.
To take one very simple example, from my own girlhood. In my day, to get accepted into a top college, girls were expected to have three years of study of two foreign languages (one modern; one ancient), but only two years of math. With boys, it was the reverse: only two years of a foreign language, but three years of math were required.
That is relatively benign, of course. But based on assumptions that would not prove benign, for example, in the case of a particular girl who wanted to be an engineer. She was being discouraged, not encouraged.
Furthermore, let's look at the generalizations a little more closely. Everybody knows that little girls are better at language than boys are. If you take that very seriously, then all the best writers should be female. That, in fact, is not the case. Obviously, other factors than sheer ability are involved here.
Finally, let's look at what happens when we start generalizing about race. On IQ tests, for example, it is unquestionably the case that Orientals tend to do consistently better on the spatial sections. Aptitude tests also show them to be consistently superior at abstract mathematical tasks. Do we wish to draw any practical conclusions from that?
Making too much of sexual and/or racial differences can lead (and sometimes does) to sexist and/or rascist educational and public policy.
Joan |
