Men `smarter than women'

Yakub Qureshi

August 25, 2005

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MEN/WOMEN: A world of difference?

HELL hath no fury like a woman scorned. But psychologists have risked the wrath of half the world's population with a dangerously simple pronouncement: men are smarter than women.

A University of Manchester study, which claims to be one of the biggest-ever of human intelligence, appears to show an inherent IQ gap between the sexes.

But the academic who led the study says he wishes its findings were wrong!

Dr Paul Irwing said he didn't want to give fuel to opponents of women's liberation, but he couldn't argue with his findings.

He said: "I'm not particularly pleased with the things we have found. I would like there to be equality between the sexes. In many ways there are, but there are some small differences and this is one of them."

Academics analysed the results of 80,000 cognitive ability tests, conducted on people from 20 countries from the 1960s to the present day.

Consistent

They claimed to find men performed marginally, but consistently, better than women, irrespective of age, ethnicity or social background.

Dr Irwing, an organisational psychologist from Manchester Business School, said men had on average five more IQ points than women of the same background.

He said: "The sample we used was huge and gave very consistent results."

The intelligence gap, he said, was so small it would make no difference in the way men and women carried out their jobs, although it could make a difference in jobs requiring exceptional levels of intelligence, explaining why fewer women have won Nobel science prizes.

The research, which first appeared in the Times Higher Education Supplement, is likely to be heavily disputed. Dr Irwing collaborated on the study with Ulster University academic Richard Lynn, who has previously provoked outrage by claiming white people are more intelligent than black.

Do you believe the results of the group's study? Have your say.

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Ace Riley, manchester (25/08/2005 at 11:33)

The findings of the professor is right all you have to do is look at the ratio of women inventors. Look at how many inventions are by men compared to women?. I know that most women will moan about this "FACT". But all i ask of the women who read this is to put a list of women inventors up for all to see.

Kevin, Bristol (25/08/2005 at 13:08)

With the number of statistical tests that would have been performed we would expect to find several positive results purely by chance. Without seeing the research paper it is hard to judge how this has been accounted for in the analyses and hence any results should be considered with great caution. There are other issues that cannot be assessed without seeing the research paper - for example how generalisable are the subjects in their study. As with anything like this the information in this article has been selected to make its point but issues surrounding the study (which should be included in the research paper) would provide greater clarity including strengths and weaknesses of the study.

JH, Manchester (25/08/2005 at 13:38)

Really what is the point of a study like this?

Mahagwa Makokha, The Moon (25/08/2005 at 14:21)

Given that intelligence is partially determined by nurture; it is time that it was realized that the feminist movement has been misguided. Instead of trying to bring men down, it should focus on instituting an environment in which little girls are given the same intellectual motivation as little boys. Instead of having little girls play with dolls, or having them focus on 'shopping' or 'malls', have them learn science, math; have them play with trucks, etc.... other than that, men will always be smarter than women.

J, Manchester (25/08/2005 at 14:25)

Ha Ha, I could have told you that anyway.

Les, Norden (25/08/2005 at 14:42)

And I thought the 'silly season' wouldn't happen this year.
If we men are smarter than women, how come we ask them to marry us? Are they less smart because they say 'Yes'?

mike, usa (25/08/2005 at 14:42)

There are alot of men in this world that can work out the square root of a pickle jar but that does not mean they can get the lid off the jar to get the pickle. And on the other side of the coin even a stupid woman will all ways find some stupid jock of a guy who will throw his macho chest out and step forward to get the pickle for her.

Orwell, S.C. The Confederacy (25/08/2005 at 15:12)

I've been waiting for a study like this to take down the racist feminist movement for sometime now - thank you!

Angie T, Singapore (25/08/2005 at 15:46)

i'm not disputing the results made by the psychologists - mind, psychologists as opposed to boffins - but anyways, i'd like to put this question forward: if men are comfortable with the fact that they are smarter than women, how come 99.98% still cannot accept that women can be as smart, if not their intellectual equals? and how come they tend to let their ego's come to the fore at the slightest "threat"?

As for inventions by women, they may be lesser in numbers, but not necessarily less practical. like windscreen wipers and nappies.

Gina, Manchester (25/08/2005 at 16:48)

Ace Riley, I see the 'superiority' of the male brain isn't manifest either in your grasp of grammar, punctuation or basic sentence formation; or in your disinclination to consider that the relative shortage of female inventors throughout history could be down to the systemic oppression of women over thousands of years. Or, put differently: shut up, thicko!

Susan, Perth (25/08/2005 at 18:36)

Since when did 'invention' become the benchmark for intelligence ?

Beete, Va. (25/08/2005 at 22:32)

Yes men are smarter than women because they came up with how to make women feel inferior, needy, damsels in distress. They put a price on everything created so they could profit, from a string of grass to the water from the clouds. If they could put a price and control on nature and God they would. Which is why they came up with cloning, they're trying to be God. But all that "smartness" has turned into dumbness because now God is angry at what has been done to his creation.

Tom Swade, Rusholme, Manchester (26/08/2005 at 00:29)

Speaking as a man I don't agree with the study findings. IQ tests have been known for many years to be biased in favour of men because the questions deal with spatial and logical questions to a greater extent. Men have been proven to be better at these type of tasks but that doesn't mean they are necessarily more intelligent. Criticism aside though I would be interested to read about the results from a better prepared study.

Ryze, Hulme, Manchester (26/08/2005 at 09:57)

Well... men smarter than Women? Whites smarter than blacks? Seems a bit suspect to me. Why? Because all of the subjects sampled in this study will have grown up and lived in THIS PREJUDICED WORLD. Of course if you test women who have lived and grown up on Earth in the years leading up to 2005 - generally they may not be as scientifically savvy. The same with blacks versus whites. Look at the likely differences in opportunity that are determined by todays societies and cultures - between the average white man, compared with the average black woman. If you were born as a random white man on this planet 30 years ago - look at the opportunities you'd have, in comparison to being born as a random black woman. To begin with - almost all black people in the 'west' have poor parents or grand parents. The stats are very different for white people, and can vary massively depending on where you take your sample from. Due to the history of the last 500 years, nearly all black people are poor and still climbing out of poverty. And look at how many girls are raised, regardless of their race. Too many are kept as cute, dumb babies way into their 20's and beyond. You can tell already why the results of these studies would be how thay are. People tend to publish these results to reinforce stereotypes. That's really quite sad.

JM, Manchester (26/08/2005 at 09:59)

Another pointless survey, designed to provide fuel 'down the pub' to insult the genders. Each gender is better at some things than the other, and it is reasonable to suggest that there will a slight variance one way or the other. Quite frankly, it doesn't actually matter does it? If, as the survey suggests, for the average person it will make no difference, then we can all sit back and realise that we are all as clever as each other, and there is actually nothing to prove.

Specsaver, stockport (26/08/2005 at 10:58)

Come on girls, don't be daft. Of course us men are smarter than you ladies.

J. Davis, Salford, Gtr. M/cr. (26/08/2005 at 16:00)

Have these people nothing better to do with their time and funding? There are so many problems in this world that, if solved, could do so much to make this world and our lives so much better. Why do they feel they need to make more divisions in society when so many people are trying to bring about harmony and equality? They should do something useful with their time. In all races, creeds, colours, nationalities and both genders people are born with high intelligence and low intelligence. There are lots of different factors that contribute to intelligence and it starts in the womb and progresses through life. Also it is already a well known fact that men and women have different types of brains which are suited to different tasks. The two halves of a man's brain are totally separate while the two halves of a women's brain are connected. Although studies have shown this they also show that women can have what is referred to as a man's brain and men can have a women's brain in the sence of what tasks they can perform. This, as stated, begins in the womb. Mother Nature is remarkable. She made men and women the two halves of a coin. Put the two halves together and we should have between us all the talents we need to get by in this world. Just a final word, someone once said that statistics can be made to prove anything.

nathan, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (27/08/2005 at 00:43)

in my opinion we are equal. Men, since the prehistoric times, have come up with ways for survival, using more logic than knowledge, but the women also played a role they had their ways of keeping the tribe alive and well. If you look at that we have evolved (no i dont beleive in darwins theory crap) to lean on each other, one does a specific task, in general i am not saying woman cannot have a job and they can't do as good as men, im just saying that one sex relies on the other for specific things.

AJ, Devon (27/08/2005 at 01:49)

Congratulations on fuelling more irritating and trivial gender debates. I'm sure the world is a better place now that we know guys can solve math puzzles faster. Whoo.

Anna, Didsbury, Manchester (27/08/2005 at 07:03)

This just shows what a dire state psychology has sunk to. I suspect most psychologists are cringing at the dire stupidity and prejudice this story displays. As for members of the press and public believing it, well... Anyone who has ever done an IQ test, even the television ones, will know that they consist of a large number of little tasks that basically are all of a small range of types. You get marks for how many you complete and get right. Some are of a type that males tend to do more easily (maths and spacial), and some that females tend to do better (word tests and ones where great observational care is needed), and some are fairly gender neutral. Of course some males are really good at careful observation and words, and some females are exceptional at maths and spacial skills too. The proportions of those types in the mix are supposed to be balanced so that males and females overall do equally well. The greater competitiveness and speed of males is supposed to be balanced by the greater thoughfulness and care of females, but IQ tests are not fair reflectors of people who are under extra stress. So, if a test over a large number of randomly selected candidates gives higher scores for one sex, it isn't a reflection on those candidates, it is a fault in the balance of the test. And a researcher who instead says such results means one sex is a bit less intelligent is actually either totally ignorant about IQ tests, or seizing any opportunity to slur that sex. I trust the employers of the authors will now closely examine their other research and work, and especially if they may have been exhibiting prejudice against females (including thier colleagues and students) otherwise. And those who compose IQ tests might also need to examine if they need to correct for a small balance in the proportions that may be tilted against females.

Kat, CA (27/08/2005 at 07:47)

You wanted a list?
Hedy Lamarr-radio communication systems
Bette Nesmith Graham-Liquid Paper
Patsy Sherman-Schochgard
Sybilla Masters-corn processing
Mary Dixon Kies-straw and silk processing
Lady Agusta Ada Byron-binary anyone?
Ellen Elgin-clothes wringer
Margret Knight-paper bag prduction
Mary Walton-anti polution devices
Beulah Louise Henry-"Lady Edison" ice cream freezer with a vacuum seal, 100+ items
Katherine Blodgett-nonreflecting glass
Marjory Joyner-permanent wave machine
Ruth Handler-barbie doll and brest prosthesis (the prosthesis was after she survived breast cancer)
Gertrude Belle Elion-cancer drugs and kidney transplants
Rachel Fuller Brown-antifungal antibiotic
Edith Flanigen-petroleum research
Erna Schneider Hoover-telephone switching system
Mary Spaeth-laser technology (tunable dye laser)
Stephanie Louise Kwolek-ploymers and fibers

From:
Mothers of Inventions
Though Unsung and Ignored, Women Have Pushed Technology's Frontiers

By Heather Salerno
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 12 1997; Page H01
The Washington Post
http://www.stsci.edu/stsci/service/wsf/current/inventions.html

And Rosalind Franklin most certainly was integral in discovering the structure of DNA.

Not to mention that the current record holder of the highest IQ is currently a woman, Marilyn Vos Savant

Will, London (27/08/2005 at 12:32)

As has been a great topic of discussion here, I would like, once again, to return to the fact that for thousands of years, women were severely oppressed by their male counterparts. Something that I think is of particular importance to this topic is an extension of the fact that a few years ago, women were not given the same opportunities by men. This means that a smaller proportion of the populace of women than men would have had an IQ test. This would clearly produce some form of bias in the results of such a survey. Furthermore, the findings presented here do not do anything to account for the performance gap between girls and boys in schools in recent years, where girls do, in fact, on the whole, tend to perform quite a lot better. Finally I would like to quote Benjamin Disraeli: "There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies and statistics." As far as the general public sees from the media, these results are nothing but statistics, and as far as media is concerned, they can bend statistics (usually throuhg the accompanying text) to make them look however they want. With that in mind, I believe that these test results have to be considered with a pinch of salt.

L K, Toronto, Canada (27/08/2005 at 21:56)

I'm so sure the pair of neandrathals that did this survey are disappointed about their findings! (sarcastic comment for those men out there that aren't capable of catching it.)
Well enough stats you can show anything or any correlations. The Richard Lynn study could be valid in terms of socio-economic advantage of the whites over blacks in most cases.

Also there has been some studies suggesting the IQ is a matter of how well you can take a test. They do try and account for that factor I believe but it is a test and some take tests better than others.

What can be done is to look at the methodology used. What is interesting is the time frame from 1960 till now. The assumption is then people don't change from the 60's to now things are the same in terms of education and society.
So why don't the gentlemen that did the study show us what tests they used and how they came up with their results.
What also needs to be considered is that the difference is only 5 points and whether it was statistically significant. Since intelligence can be measured in so many ways.

Amber, Tennessee, USA (28/08/2005 at 01:33)

I'm sure this is not a full list, only some of the very most famous female inventors: Randi Altschul
Virgie Ammons
Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson Mary Anderson
Virginia Apgar
Barbara Askins
Patricia E. Bath
Miriam E. Benjamin
Patricia Billings
Katherine Blodgett Bessie Blount
Sarah Boone
Rachel Fuller Brown
Josephine Garis Cochran
Martha J. Coston Dianne Croteau
Marie Curie
Marion Donovan
Gertrude Belle Elion
Edith Flanigen
Helen Free
Sally Fox
Frances Gabe
Lillian Gilbreth
Sarah E. Goode
Bette Nesmith Graham
Temple Grandin
KK Gregory
Ruth Handler
Elizabeth Lee Hazen
Beulah Henry
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Krisztina Holly
Erna Schneider Hoover
Grace Hopper
Mary Phelps Jacob
Amanda Theodosia Jones
Marjorie Stewart Joyner
Anna Keichline Mary Kies
Gabriele Knecht
Margaret Knight
Stephanie Louise Kwolek
Hedy Lamarr
Ada Lovelace
Sybilla Masters
Ann Moore
Krysta Morlan
Lyda Newman
Julie Newmar
Ellen Ochoa
Alice H Parker
Betty Rozier
Patsy Sherman
Valerie Thomas
Ann Tsukamoto
Harriet Tubman
Lisa Vallino
Madame Walker
Mary Walton
Carol Wior
Will that suffice for you? And for those guys who think there are so smart and woman are so dumb let me ask you a question. Don't worry it's obvious you feel threatened by women of intelligence so I'll word this nice and simple for you... What is your IQ little boy?

el_cinico, Baltimore, Maryland (28/08/2005 at 20:28)

Okay, so the results prove that men score a few points higher on IQ tests than women...but what exactly does this mean? Define the term 'smart.' Maybe women are slightly inferior when it comes to problem solving, identifying patterns, et cetera--skills that are demonstrated in an IQ test--but what about instinctive intelligence that cannot be tested? How do women compare to men in these areas?

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