Comment by cyorir | Hacker News Reader

Comment by cyorir | Hacker News Reader

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There has been a lot of study into sexual dimorphisms. Check wikipedia for a primer[0]. Or grab yourself a basic neuroscience textbook[1].

That being said, the poster above stated, "Guys are less subtle -- we're wired to be more attracted to the binary good/bad aspect of things. The male power dynamic is powerful/weak. Girls sweat the details." These are very vague statements which do not relate to specific cognitive tasks, so no research can tell you about whether or not "Girls sweat the details." Unless a statement like this is restated, it is not testable, and therefore is not supported by current evidence. If something like "Males performed differently on average at a spatial task A, or a cognitive task B," then maybe you could find some scientific literature.

At the very least, unqualified and vague statements like that posted only serve to confuse, and may be considered potentially sexist.

[0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_differences_in_human_psycho... [1] http://www.openisbn.com/isbn/9780878936977/

Thanks for posting links to research. I agree that the poster you refer to could have been more clear in his/her thought, but my general point was that merely discussing sex differences shouldn't be grounds to accuse people of sexism. Regardless of whether you're happy about it or not sex differences exist and on average different genders are better at different tasks. This is pretty solid psychology and no reputable psychologist would disagree with this. What it doesn't mean is that every woman is better than every man in certain areas or vice-versa, but it does mean there are patterns of behavior more common in women than in men, etc.

Sex and gender are two different things, and no reputable psychologist would agree with a statement that blithely conflates them.

The arguments you're making perpetuate structural oppression of women. One might as well talk about how race differences exist and on average different ethnicities are better at different tasks. (That is to say, I find the language you're using morally repugnant.)

Noting a physiological difference is not the same as passing a value judgement. Vive la différence.

The comment I replied to talked about psychology, not physiology.

"Simply noting a difference" is never simple when dealing in stereotypes driven by historical prejudice.

So I take it you think the entire field of behavioral genetics should be banned?

I have no problem with research, my problem is with vague innuendo. More than that, most people aren't qualified to interpret such research, and people who talk about differences between the sexes are usually speaking about their personal beliefs while trying to wrap them in a veneer of science. I find it difficult to believe that a scientist who has done a thorough survey of the research would make a flippant remark like the one I replied to.

> sex differences shouldn't be grounds to accuse people of sexism.

I have often seen people hold the assumption that you have a strong opinion on exactly what the mental difference are between male, female, etc with out good research to back it up then it is likely due to sexism.

What percentage of people are jumping to conclusions arbitrarily rather then allowing their conclusions to biased for their own ends. Most seem to assume the latter is more likely.

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