It's just science.

I thought both side had convincing arguments, but I'm going to side with Steven and say yes there is a biological difference. I touched on this on my last blog post. It's a way that men and women have evolved since our times of a society of hunter/gatherer. There have been many tests where it shows that men and women are wired different. Our brains, for example, have different areas that has developed more then others. Men tend to use more of their left side of their brains where as women tend to use both hemisphere equally. Which would explain that more women tend to multi-task better then men. Yes it's true that men have larger brains then women, but most scientists agree that there is no evidence that the size difference makes men smarter.

With that being said, there have been many tests that show that men are better at mathematical and spacial reasoning then women. In most men's brain the IPL (Inferior Partial Lobule) is larger. This has been proven with MRI and brainwave scans. Women have a more developed language center and tend to process language in both hemisphere of their brains. Another thing that sets us apart is that men tend to deal with stress in a more rational state then women. When we're both introduced to stress our brain releases a chemical/hormone called oxytocin. Estrogen tends to enhance it's effects, while testosterone will help negate a lot of the effects. Women also have a larger Deep Limbic System, and are much more in tune with their emotions then men. I'm not saying that women are inferior then men or vice versa, but I am saying that we are biologically different and it does play into how we process information.

Now Elizabeth Spelke brings up a great counter argument to Stephen's argument, "But the question on the table is not, Are there biological sex differences? The question is, Why are there fewer women mathematicians and scientists?" (Pg. 60) I think that the two are intertwined with one another. To get at the actual root of the question you have to look into the science behind the answers. It gives us another outlook then just trying to prove our point with only hearsay. Now I do believe there is a huge discrimination in these fields against women. Is it all justified? No. Over the course of the last 50 years women are becoming more educated in these fields. It also helps that we're still evolving and with the introduction of a math and sciences to women the differences will eventually disappear. The brain in an interesting organ. It's constantly adapting and changing, and we pass on those traits to our children. Dr. Melissa Hines did a gender study that involved monkeys. It showed that the male monkeys prefer the mechanical (boy) toys and the female monkey's preferred the dolls. It's because our brains are hardwired that way.

"I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science." - Ron Burgundy

Questions
1) Do you think that we as a species is still evolving?

2) Do you think that women will ever dominate the math and science fields?