And yet the men who make these sort of statements are the same ones who criticise feminists for supposedly saying all men are potential rapists; all domestic violence victims are female. So if women generalise about men - that's bad but if men generalise about women that's all right because it's true. Talk about double standards.
Then there's the well known research that shows from IQ tests that there are more men at the top and bottom of the scale than there are women. This is a statement of fact in line with some research and I have no problem with it. But can you really equate that to the statement that the average man is more intelligent than the average woman? That to me is an inference too far. This research should be qualified in the following way:
- IQ tests measure how well you can do IQ tests
- The whole population - or even a large proportion of it - has not been subjected to IQ tests
- IQ tests were devised to measure a particular type of intelligence. This is not the only type of intelligence
- The research is not an excuse for excluding women from the top jobs in any field because an individual women can still be more intelligent than an individual man.
- The research does not prove that all men are more intelligent than all women - the graph would look like two bell curves that never met if that was the case.
I'm sceptical of that research about IQ tests - or rather the conclusions drawn from it. As yet, as far as I know, there is no evidence to show that this difference in IQs (if there is a difference) is due to genetic factors. But it makes sense that if you exercise your brain in certain ways (by doing maths, solving logical problems, which boys and men are more likely to do because of societal pressures), then you will change your IQ or mental competence in these areas. This has been shown very clearly with taxi drivers. Brain scans show that they start with brains similar to everyone else, then as they learn the 'knowledge', a certain brain region enlarges. So what I'm saying is it's much more likely to be nurture not nature. And you are right also that IQ is very difficult to measure.
ReplyDeleteAnd talking of hypercritical, hypocritical men, I've introduced a comment policy on my blog. No more trolls! At last we can have some useful debates.
I had forgotten the taxi drivers - that's a useful example.
ReplyDeleteThe trolls had got a bit much lately - especially as they always seem to think they're right!