Men and women may be from the same planet after all, according to recent findings by UW-Madison professor of psychology Janet Hyde.
The recent study conducted by Hyde confirmed that men and women are fundamentally identical psychologically and that gender differences, such as math ability and self-esteem levels, have been greatly overestimated.
The findings, reported in the September issue of American Psychologist, are a compilation of results from 46 previously conducted studies regarding gender differences. Hyde's comprehensive analysis confirmed that in 78 percent of situations, males and females act and think the same way.
Hyde's team help dispel the general assumptions that males outperform females in a variety of subjects, including mathematics and science.
According to a statement from the American Psychological Association, young girls are most likely to be affected by the misguided notion that boys are inherently more talented than girls in certain subjects. Parents who have low expectations for their daughters' success in math may unintentionally neglect talented girls. According to APA's website, research has shown that 'parents' expectations for their children's math success relate strongly to a child's self-confidence and his or her performance.'
Hyde's study did find differences in a few key aspects. Boys, for instance, generally display greater physical aggression than girls. Additionally, Hyde found a disparity in throwing distance and attitudes toward casual sex.
With other traits such as self-esteem, psychologists also determined that males and females are similar. The misconception that women inherently have lower self-esteem than men can come with some potentially problematic side effects.
'If we keep thinking that girls are the ones with all the self-esteem issues, then we miss all the boys with low self-esteem,' Hyde said in a statement. 'And those are the boys who may end up doing something like Columbine.'
Hyde's study aims to dismiss the pervasive belief that women are caring nurturers with strong communication skills and men are natural leaders with greater ability in math and science.
'Hundreds of books, including the best-seller 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,' have instilled in us the false idea that there is an enormous, insurmountable divide between genders,' UW junior Jenna Tighe said. 'There are so many constructions of gender that people think they have to live up to ?? people perform a gender because they feel like society expects it from them.'
'I think this study is interesting, because the parents of some little girls still expect that they will do bad in math and that their sons won't be emotional, because their parents grew up believing in these roles for themselves,' Tighe added.
