Sexist ’sexplanation’ for men’s brilliance debunked

Photo: Steve Harvey/Unsplash - Deeply entrenched scientific beliefs that for more than a century have explained why more men than women are high achievers because of biology are not backed up by evidence, according to  new research  from The Australian National University (ANU). The researchers say the long-held "sexplanation" has been used to argue why there are more high-achieving men than women.    "The idea that biology determines greater diversity of behaviour among male than female animals is often used to explain why more men than women are considered geniuses or go on to become CEOs," lead author Lauren Harrison, a PhD scholar from the ANU Research School of Biology, said.   "There is a history of scientists using the notion of greater male variability to explain why science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are dominated by men, rather than considering other reasons why we see fewer women in these professions, such as historical exclusion or gender stereotyping.  "Based on our data, if we assume that humans are like other animals, there is equal chance of having a similar number of high-achieving women as there are high-achieving men in this world.   "Based on this logic, there is also just as great a chance of having a similar number of men and women that are low achievers."  The ANU team reviewed more than 10,000 biological studies and analysed behavioural traits of males and females in more than 200 animal species, from insects to dolphins. The researchers found males and females have similar levels of "variability", which is contrary to beliefs held by biologists that have long assumed male animals are more variable than females.  "The significance of greater male variability for evolution goes back to Charles Darwin.