Investigating Thinking Difference Between Men and Women

¶ … male and female are fraught with controversy, while some believe that behavioral and thinking differences between male and female are based on cultural differences, other people argue that the biological factors largely lead to sex differences. In reality, argument on thinking difference between men and women is very complex, often conflated and confused. Several evidences have shown male and female's brains differ in function and structure, however, there is no precise evidence how these differences affect and female behaviors or thinking differences between male and female. By consequence, gender variation is often misappropriated and exaggerated by mass media to perpetuate myths and reinforce stereotypes.

Objective of this study is to investigate whether there is a difference in the way men and women think. The study also discusses the physiological differences in the men and women's brains.

Argument on Thinking and Brain Difference between Male and Female

The size of the brain is the most obvious difference between men and women. The brain of an adult male individual weighs between 11 and 15% larger than the brain of an adult female. Moreover, male head is approximately 2% "bigger than the female head." (Graber, 2007 p 186 ). A comparative analysis between the brain of 42 male and 58 females reveal that the brain of a male individual weighs approximately 3lb (1,378g) compared with women brain that weighs 2.75lb (1,248g). These differences emerge after comparing the brain of large number of men and women's. The difference makes many men be taller and larger that female individuals, however, the differences do not reflect differences in thinking and intelligence between men and women.

On other hand, Witelson, Beresh, and Kigar, (2005) argue that the heredity largely contribute to the brain size because the hereditary volume of an individual's cerebral hemisphere is 65%, frontal and temporal region are tied to 90% in heredity. Moreover, the total of white or grey matter in the brain is tied to the 85% of heredity.

Moreover, the brains of men and women differ in overall composition. In essence, male brain contain a large proportion of grey matter compare to the brains of men that have higher proportion of white matter in the wider part of the cortex. In essence, the cortex of women brain is thicker than the cortex of men brain. (Costandi, 2013). The brain structure of male and female also differs. The hippocampus, which is a structure that involves a memory formation is larger in men brain than in the women brain.

Fig 1: Brain Connections of Female (lower) and Male (upper)

Source: (Lewis, 2013).

As being revealed in Fig 1, women brains are connected between hemispheres while men's brains are connected within hemisphere. The results may make men having more ability in motor skills, while women having more ability in intuitive and analytical thinking. (Lewis, 2013).

Despite the difference identified in the male and female brain, there is no substantial evidence that these differences have led to the difference in the female and male thinking ability or difference in intelligence. A correlation between human intelligence and thinking behavior is not related to sex difference; however, thinking behaviors or intelligence of an individual whether male or female is related to the combination of environmental and genetic factors. Typically, brain histology, physiology and neorochemical level lead to a variation in intelligence.

Graber, (2007) points out that "no area of the male brain is more complex than the female brain" (p 186). There is no evidence that men think more intelligently than women or vice versa. Typically, women may perform excellently in academic studies similar to the way men perform if exposed to the same environmental factors. Moreover, there is no concrete evidence that men may outperform women in certain studies. The way men and women think is the combination of environmental and genetic factors. Women brought up from the academic environments in the London City or New York City will likely to develop analytical thinking behaviors that men brought up from illiterate families in rural areas in Africa. Stereotype is another reason that may lead to the difference in the way men and women think. Some societies globally have already relegated women to be inferior to men.

In the Middle East, women are not permitted to receive western education and they are not allowed to move around without a company of men. Thus, the manner some societies treat women largely lead to some difference in thinking behavior in men and women. In many part of world, women are being discriminated from holding several posts making some women to think that they are inferior to men. Some societies also believe that the roles of women are "in the kitchens and to bear children." However, physiologically, there is no evidence that there is a difference between the way women and men think. It is essential to realize that if equal number of men and women are exposed to the same environment and there is no discrimination whatsoever the way the society treats them, there be will no substantial difference in their think behavior. Their thinking difference will only be due to the genetic factors.

As being discussed earlier on, genetic factors largely contribute the difference in intelligence and the way individual think. There is no evidence that men possess more analytical and quantitative thinking behaviors than women counterpart. The difference in analytical thinking behavior and difference in ability to solve quantitative problems between men and women largely depend on genetic and environment factors. Women who receive a very good education and brought up from highly educated parents are likely to develop analytic thinking behaviors than men with no education and brought by the illiterate parents.