Women genetically less intelligent than Men?

oh boy...

I'm really nervous on the making of this topic actually. And a bit hesitant. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if half way though i may just decide to not make it.

First off! I would like to clearly state that I, in no way, believe this to be true. However! To me, possibly because i don't know that much about genetics in the first place, this is somewhat feasible.

Secondly! I am really sorry if this offends anyone, and I am not here to debate on whether or not guys are smarter then girls in a childish manner. so please, read respectively

And thirdly!!! I completely agree that all women deserve the same treatment, if not better, than men. Along with many women being way more intelligent then many men.



This is a question from the ignorant (aka me). Because of the past hundreds upon hundreds of years of neglect and abuse of women, forcing them into a state in which not to think freely, and a position in which they were (and sometimes still are) unable to attend schooling. Would this genetically make women less intelligent than men?




Best answer so far (Thanks mystiq)
www.dawn.com...

[edit on 4/10/08 by Ghost147]

[edit on 4/10/08 by Ghost147]

I think that women are far less likely to weigh out decisions devoid of emotional ties. I think women are highly intelligent and often times can run circles around men in brain power ... but reasoning abilities based in rationality is something that *most* women have to acquire through MUCH discipline. Rare is the woman that has this ability naturally.

Good thing too because being emotional prone is not a bad thing... particularly when you consider the reason why it is a part of our nature.. motherhood

[edit on 4-10-2008 by justamomma]

and i completely agree. But wouldnt the past neglect altered the brains percentage of use somewhat? obviously not in all women.

once again i dont see this in actual life, but merely think that because of the lack of learning in the past years could have some sort of effect.

I think you've opened up a can of worms here. You may get slammed a few times for this one.

Your post tickles me because it's obviously not smart for a man to question whether men are superior to women in the brains dept.

Seriously though, I think that genetically men are smarther than some women in certain fields and I think that genetically women are smarter than some men in certain fields.

Sorry I couldn't be more scientific. I really just wanted to post to give you a little ribbing. I'm curious to know if anyone can turn up any scientific evidence of this though.

Originally posted by Ghost147
But wouldnt the past neglect altered the brains percentage of use somewhat? obviously not in all women.

once again i dont see this in actual life, but merely think that because of the lack of learning in the past years could have some sort of effect.

No; I disagree. Of course, I am a woman, so I could be a bit biased.

While I agree that women are more prone to make decisions on emotion, in some situations, I in no way think that years of neglect and servitude make women "genetically" less intelligent than men.

In fact, I don't think genetics has anything at all to do with intelligence. We are all born with basically blank slates as far as intelligence and common sense goes (and yes, I believe there is a difference between the two), so I think that circumstances have a huge effect on intelligence and common sense, where genetics has little to none.

you have no idea how scared i am of this topic. lol

and i agree that its not smart for a man to state that opinion. however, it is not my opinion, Im curious too of the scientific information that could leed from the extremely dangerous question.

It doesn't make them less intelligent than men genetically. Men and women have different hard wiring, but software (ie. their studies and interests can change the hardwiring, as all is not written in stone). Basically women have, from what I've read, more of a whole brain experience, and don't get me wrong, this isn't about being brighter, this is about the neuron pathways and connectors between the right and left hemisphere of the brains. So they can think, feel, and express themselves verbally all at once. Whereas men have less of these connectors, but have an enriched spacial area, so they are better at math and architecture.
This is not written in stone. When I was in school the 2 top students were girls, and one of my friends became an architect. In the end, it means squat! The software can tweak and make hardware adjustments. So we can become good at what we're interested in, or compensate for certain weaknesses by creativity. So while a little different, we are equal.

[edit on 4-10-2008 by mystiq]

Male iq varies a lot more than female iq. Males are more likely to be geniuses, and more likely to be retarded.

In fact the female iq is thought to have more of an effect on the offspring (genetically as well as through environment) so if women got dumber both genders would be affected.

The chart below relates to iq as well as other extremes in behavior, such as the fact there are far more male geniuses but also far more male serial killers. The male gender leans more toward the extreme in all regards.



[edit on 4-10-2008 by Sonya610]

reply to post by Ghost147


It isn't a topic to be scared of.

It isn't like you came on here and adamently stated that men were smarter than women. You asked if genetics had anything to do with it....if something genetic made men smarter than women.

We women can discuss this rationally without getting upset and running out of the room crying into our hankies.....

i dont mean to be sexist or anything...

the facts speak for themselves, on the whole women are completetly inferior to men on every level apart from maybe emotionally. They can argue until the cows come home but men have evolved to do the thinking and the earning.

Einstein, shakespear, newton, da vinci, galilei, fischer, pascal, list goes on! not many females make the grade.

reply to post by Sonya610


I actually read some research in the UK, that quickly disappeared, so the links are gone, where the IQ component was linked to the X chromosome, so if you want an intelligent boy, chose an intelligent wife.

Originally posted by justamomma
I think that women are far less likely to weigh out decisions devoid of emotional ties. I think women are highly intelligent and often times can run circles around men in brain power

... but reasoning abilities based in rationality is something that *most* women have to acquire through MUCH discipline. Rare is the woman that has this ability naturally.

Good thing too because being emotional prone is not a bad thing... particularly when you consider the reason why it is a part of our nature.. motherhood

[edit on 4-10-2008 by justamomma]

i totally agree about the emotions thing...and IT IS GENETIC. See, women's membranes that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain are less in number than men, but are much much thicker, making the transfer between sides (logic and action on one, emotions on the other) much more a part of the equation. mens are greater in number but not by a lot, and much thinner. so the next time a guy says to you "why do you always have to be so emotional?" tell him you were born that way.
this is a true, natural explanation for women being able to express feelings so much better than men (you have speech on one side and feelings on the other) men have less a natural chance to link the two together. i hope this helps.
and i see how the scenario in the OP COULD POSSIBLY cause a mutation over a huge period of time, but i would see it as making them SMARTER instead, because most mutations are attempts to ensure survival. this is a VERY interesting idea, i have never considered the way we might be shaping genetics by the way we interact with eachother...star and flag!

reply to post by johnmajor


Now, this is the kind of post to be scared of. And, I'll stick to the intelligence portion and ignore the "inferior" component.

You can't unequivocally make a statement like that. In the times you are basing your statement on, women weren't given the same chances that men were. It didn't mean they were less intelligent; they just didn't have the chance then.

The playing field is more level now and women have the opportunities to show how intelligent they are and can be.

[edit on 10/4/2008 by skeptic1]

The neurons connecting both hemispheres of the brain are far greater in women than in men. They have the whole brain experience. Thats basic science and has been published for years.

First, I think you have to define what "intelligence" really is.

You can't use IQ scores, because it has been proven you can design an IQ test that favors either gender. A lot of work is spent in designing gender neutral IQ tests to insure that there is NO DIFFERENCE between males and females.

en.wikipedia.org...

Given that people mistakenly associate "intelligence" with "superiority", Is your question really whether women are inferior to men? Because that is what it sounds like you are asking, at least to me.

reply to post by mystiq

i was too late...i just saw your post after i made mine...just one correction. men actually have more, but they are less effecient and thinner.

You know, they say that you can prove anything you want with statistics. A new study claims that:
www.dailymail.co.uk...

Men are more intelligent than women, claims new study

The study - carried out by a man - concluded that men's IQs are almost four points higher than women's.

British-born researcher John Philippe Rushton, who previously created a furore by suggesting intelligence is influenced by race, says the finding could explain why so few women make it to the top in the workplace.

He claims the 'glass ceiling' phenomenon is probably due to inferior intelligence, rather than discrimination or lack of opportunity.

The University of Western Ontario psychologist reached his conclusion after scrutinising the results of university aptitude tests taken by 100,000 students aged 17 and 18 of both sexes.

A focus on a factors such as the ability to quickly grasp a complex concept, verbal reasoning skills and creativity - some of they key ingredients of intelligence - revealed the male teenagers had IQs that were an average of 3.63 points higher. The average person has an IQ of around 100.

The findings, which held true for all classes and levels of parental education, overturn a 100 year consensus that men and women average the same in general mental ability. They also conflict with evidence that girls do better in school exams than boys.

But Prof Rushton, who was born in Bournemouth and obtained his doctorate in social psychology from the London School of Economics, argues that the faster maturing of girls leads to them outshining boys in the classroom.

Personally, I never saw a discernable difference at the college level at all in my students.
Even if this study were true (and I have strong doubts), it is only talking about a little over 3 points in IQ.
IQ tests, regardless of what the "experts" tell you, have a strong cultural bias in them.
Most "experts" do seem to believe the left brain/right brain difference:

Who is more verbal, the average man or woman? By a wide margin, of course, the answer is the woman. She speaks twice as many words as the man and has done so even before the age of two. Boys and men are much more nonverbal, usually preferring physical spatial activities even as small toddlers. So the evidence is clear that women hang out more in their left brains, whereas men tend to hang out more in their right brains.

Again, how significant is culture and environment in such a difference? I believe that it is a factor.
Regardless, one thing I KNOW about women versus men- WOMEN are much smarter than men when it comes to admitting that they are lost when driving.If a woman gets lost, she will stop and retrace her route, or stop and get directions. If a man gets lost, he will insist he is not, and instead continue to make additional wrong turns, until he runs out of gas. If you don't BELIEVE me, just ask my wife.

seriously though women have evolved to have the brain power to measure the correct amount of washing powder needed in a washing machine, paint there faces and make a loaf of bread. if us men were not here they would not have a clue what to do.

Originally posted by Sonya610
Male iq varies a lot more than female iq. Males are more likely to be geniuses, and more likely to be retarded.

In fact the female iq is thought to have more of an effect on the offspring (genetically as well as through environment) so if women got dumber both genders would be affected.

i c, not only in the ideas you've given me, but i see how much of a veriation there is with IQs in males vs the more similarity in females.

However, way back when, less schooling for women would general result in a lower IQ (obviously), and after sooooo many years of suppression, would that not result in a less intelegent gender? to a degree!

reply to post by justamomma


I agree, the simple fact is women and men are different, each have their own positives in terms of intelligence and other subjects etc.

It's like the saying, all different tea's are actually equal, it's just that you "choose" which one you think is superiour, when in fact that's simply your point of view, without your judgement, none of the teas are superiour to each other.


[edit on 4-10-2008 by _Phoenix_]