Genevieve Fox - The myth of the gendered brain
Rippon has analysed
the data on sex differences in the brain. She admits that she, like many
others, initially sought out these differences. But she couldn’t find any
beyond the negligible, and other research was also starting to question the
very existence of such differences. For example, once any differences in brain
size were accounted for, “well-known” sex differences in key structures
disappeared. Which is when the penny dropped: perhaps it was time to abandon
the age-old search for the differences between brains from men and brains from
women. Are there any significant differences based on sex
alone?
The answer, she says, is no. To suggest otherwise is 'neurofoolishness'
“The idea of the male brain and the female
brain suggests that each is a characteristically homogenous thing and that
whoever has got a male brain, say, will have the same kind of aptitudes,
preferences and personalities as everyone else with that ‘type’ of brain. We
now know that is not the case. We are at the point where we need to say,
‘Forget the male and female brain; it’s a distraction, it’s inaccurate.’ It’s
possibly harmful, too, because it’s used as a hook to say, well, there’s no
point girls doing science because they haven’t got a science brain, or boys
shouldn’t be emotional or should want to lead.”.. read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/24/meet-the-neuroscientist-shattering-the-myth-of-the-gendered-brain-gina-rippon
