More decision making and gender influences

Decision Making And Gender
- Part 2

Read Decision Making And Gender - Part 1

Here we continue to examine some studies done on decision making and gender.

The better problem solvers

A particularly interesting article was done at the University of Wisconsin where they reviewed over 100 studies looking at whether men or women were better at math and verbal skills.

It studied decision making in the form of mathematical questions and problem solving amongst boys and girls of various ages. Their conclusion was that both boys and girls have fairly equal abilities. Any discrepancies were very much because of cultural biases and stereotypes.

In one particular mathematics exam, the boys and girls had similar results, except for those girls that had been told before the exam that the exam itself would indicate gender differences. These girls did not score so well in the exam. It's even more significant when you consider that all the students were in the top grade for mathematics.

Influential stereotypes

So the impact of stereotypes plays a huge role in the decision making process. What somebody believes and assumes to be true about themselves drives their decision making.

And you think about young children and how boys and girls have different toys, and play different games. The traditional boys games are 'wilder' and involve more risk than the girls ones. They are essentially being 'groomed' to take on different roles.

These roles are changing more rapidly than at any other time in history. Children seem to be growing up faster these days, and making more decisions at a younger age. Just consider the rise in teenage pregnancy rates.

And, of course, the decisions that somebody makes will determine how their life turns out.

More detailed info...

When you consider decision making and gender influences, the next thing to consider, of course, are the sexual differences. The differences that exist because of the different genetic makeup of males and females.

And there's some interesting research being done using high-tech brain imaging that indicate that there are neurological and physiological differences in how males and females think and make decisions. Perhaps this will provide some explanations for the complexity of results that studies on decision making and gender have provided so far.

Read Decision Making And Gender - Part 1