IQ tests, women are now officially smarter than men
t’s official. Women are smarter than men.
For the first time in history, western women are scoring higher than men on IQ tests, according to Professor James Flynn, a widely recognized authority on intelligence quotient testing.
Both genders’ IQ scores have improved over the past century, yet women’s scores typically lagged four or five points behind, Flynn told the Star.
But in the last few years, women’s scores have risen faster and surpassed the men’s results by about one point, according to data Flynn compiled from testing agencies and academics in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Estonia, Argentina and Israel.
“Where women had a full opportunity to embrace modernity, women now either equal or slightly surpass men,” said Flynn, emeritus professor of psychology and philosophy at New Zealand’s University of Otago. He spoke to the Star by phone from Oxford, England.
Israel was the only exception to Flynn’s research, which will be published as the book Are we getting smarter? in September. Israeli women remained two points behind men (98 points versus the average man’s 100), “entirely due to the Orthodox women who are cloistered from the world.”
Canadian men weren’t studied, but — sorry, gentlemen — the trend likely holds here, too. Since Canada’s educational profile is in line with other developed countries, it is “fair to say” that if a man’s IQ score was 100, his female counterpart would score 101. (Although little data exists for the developing world, it appears women’s scores are also rising in Turkey, Brazil and Kenya.)
Women are also more likely to qualify for post-secondary education than men with the same IQ, according to Flynn’s findings. Among high school students, females with an IQ of 100 scored As and Bs, whereas males with the same IQ received Bs and Cs. Perhaps girls are more conscientious, or boys simply have trouble adapting to formal education, Flynn suggested.
“Not only are women as bright as men, but they’re surpassing them academically because of certain character traits.”
Flynn garnered his data from standardization samples for the Raven’s Progressive Matrices IQ test. His subjects ranged in age from 10 to 30-years-old.
There is little evidence to explain why women seem to have won this battle of the sexes, but potential theories include: Women were historically disadvantaged and have since caught up; multi-tasking between family and work boosts women’s smarts; or, women are inherently more intelligent.
Before women feel too self-satisfied, it must be noted that IQ tests aren’t without controversy. These tests measure and reward the kind of intelligence valued by university-attending types in developed nations, and neglect cultural intelligence that might be equally prized in different settings.
And while British men and women may have about the “same competence for the modern world,” Flynn found the men had better spatial skills while women excelled verbally — he suggested women are better suited to be lawyers than London taxi drivers.
That tidbit might resonate with the mayor of German town Triberg. As a publicity stunt, he designated two hard-to-maneuver parking spaces in the town parking garage as “men only” — he told the local papered that “men are, as a rule, a little better at such challenges.”
For the first time in history, western women are scoring higher than men on IQ tests, according to Professor James Flynn, a widely recognized authority on intelligence quotient testing.
Both genders’ IQ scores have improved over the past century, yet women’s scores typically lagged four or five points behind, Flynn told the Star.
But in the last few years, women’s scores have risen faster and surpassed the men’s results by about one point, according to data Flynn compiled from testing agencies and academics in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Estonia, Argentina and Israel.
“Where women had a full opportunity to embrace modernity, women now either equal or slightly surpass men,” said Flynn, emeritus professor of psychology and philosophy at New Zealand’s University of Otago. He spoke to the Star by phone from Oxford, England.
Israel was the only exception to Flynn’s research, which will be published as the book Are we getting smarter? in September. Israeli women remained two points behind men (98 points versus the average man’s 100), “entirely due to the Orthodox women who are cloistered from the world.”
Canadian men weren’t studied, but — sorry, gentlemen — the trend likely holds here, too. Since Canada’s educational profile is in line with other developed countries, it is “fair to say” that if a man’s IQ score was 100, his female counterpart would score 101. (Although little data exists for the developing world, it appears women’s scores are also rising in Turkey, Brazil and Kenya.)
Women are also more likely to qualify for post-secondary education than men with the same IQ, according to Flynn’s findings. Among high school students, females with an IQ of 100 scored As and Bs, whereas males with the same IQ received Bs and Cs. Perhaps girls are more conscientious, or boys simply have trouble adapting to formal education, Flynn suggested.
“Not only are women as bright as men, but they’re surpassing them academically because of certain character traits.”
Flynn garnered his data from standardization samples for the Raven’s Progressive Matrices IQ test. His subjects ranged in age from 10 to 30-years-old.
There is little evidence to explain why women seem to have won this battle of the sexes, but potential theories include: Women were historically disadvantaged and have since caught up; multi-tasking between family and work boosts women’s smarts; or, women are inherently more intelligent.
Before women feel too self-satisfied, it must be noted that IQ tests aren’t without controversy. These tests measure and reward the kind of intelligence valued by university-attending types in developed nations, and neglect cultural intelligence that might be equally prized in different settings.
And while British men and women may have about the “same competence for the modern world,” Flynn found the men had better spatial skills while women excelled verbally — he suggested women are better suited to be lawyers than London taxi drivers.
That tidbit might resonate with the mayor of German town Triberg. As a publicity stunt, he designated two hard-to-maneuver parking spaces in the town parking garage as “men only” — he told the local papered that “men are, as a rule, a little better at such challenges.”
