How different are male and female brains?

Female and male brains aren't that much different at all...

There are only a few days left of June, and only a few days to buy a copy of the magazine Scientific American.

This month, the entire issue is devoted to female and male brains and how (and how not) they are different.

This is brilliant news. In recent months, I have spent a fair amount of time debating (on this blog and elsewhere) with people who justify sexism on the grounds that men and women are innately different.

For example, the myths go like this:

• women prefer caring and nurturing jobs (which happen to be lower paid)
• men prefer jobs in which they can use skills of logic and leadership (which happen to higher paid)
• men prefer to be politicians and leaders – it’s in their DNA
• men are naturally aggressive; therefore they cannot help being violent towards women

As a trained neuroscientist, I find this all very frustrating, because I know that, when you delve into the scientific literature, you find fewer differences than you expect. Men are not from Mars and women are not from Venus, after all. What’s more, the stereotypes that we impose on both sexes can be dangerous because they inhibit the development of boys’ and girls’ minds and curb their natural talents.

Lise Eliot, an associate professor of neuroscience at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Frankin University, unpicks these misconceptions and many others – such as the one that states women speak three times as much as men, and that girls are better at empathy than boys.

Her three main points are as follows:

• Boys and girls are different, but most psychological sex differences are not especially large. For example, gaps in intellectual performance, empathy and even most types of aggression are generally much narrower than the disparity in adult height, in which the average man is taller than 99 per cent of women.

• Researchers have found very few large-scale difference between boys and girls in brain structure or function. Boys have larger brains, and girls’ brains finish growing earlier than boys’ do. But neither of these findings explains why boys are more active and girls more verbal or reveals a plausible basis of any of the other emotional and cognitive differences between the sexes.

• Experience itself changes brain structure and function. Most sex differences start out small – as mere biases in temperament and play style – but are amplified as children’s pink- or blue-tinted brains meet our gender-infused culture.

The whole magazine is packed full of articles on different aspects of male and female brains, and presents – in general – a balanced view. Go out and get it now, quick!

David Miliband backs all-women shortlists

Tonight, I was lucky enough to take part in a discussion in North London with David Miliband, Labour leadership candidate.

In response to my question about the shortage of women in Parliament, he expressed his support of all-women shortlists, which will help boost numbers and bring about equality.

He also pledged to tackle the wider cultural issues that prevent women’s progress.

He said: “I do agree with [all-female] shortlists, but there’s also a cultural problem. The attrition rate is high for women, especially junior ministers.

“There’s no point filling up the bucket if it's got holes in it. The media criticises women more than men, and culturally more women have to choose between life and work.

“I would like to see the same proportion of women in the shadow cabinet as there are women in parliament, then get this up to 50 per cent.”

Brilliant quotes

David Miliband is a master with words. The following are phrases that I collected during the evening:

The past
“Labour has been most successful when interested in ideas.”

The leadership
“My leadership campaign: values, vision and victory.”

“Why am I running for leadership? To fire the imagination of the public
and the party, to unify the talents of the party, to be a credible Prime Minister.”

“Leadership without values is just management; values without leadership are just dreams.”

The future
“The Tories will first be exposed, then opposed, then we will propose
change when it becomes clear what we are likely to inherit.”

“The route to success is to find a movement again.”

“Lib Dems have made a choice, and they're going to wrap this choice
around their necks.”

“If you go tea with an alligator, the alligator is going to eat you.”

“You shouldn't underestimate the breadth of ambition this Labour party has.”

Hats off to the men, unless we’re looking pretty

Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office demanded that a female bishop carry her mitre (pointy hat) rather than wearing it (like the men do) when she preached at Southwark Cathedral.

Women were first ordained as priests in 1994 and, as bishops, 14 years later. And it seems giving them the full rights of men is still a step too far. A stark reminder of the rabid sexism that is entrenched in Christianity.

Meanwhile, in a uncanny clash of dates, Ladies Day at Ascot last week featured many women wearing hats. A coincidence that reinforces society’s stereotype that women are objects to be looked at – to be seen and not heard.

Where women are merely things of beauty, hats are permitted galore; the more flamboyant and ostentatious the better.

But if women have potential to hold authority and the hats are a symbol of that? Ban them! Disallow! God forbid that women should be granted equal status as men.

Monkey business

There once was a monkey called Dave
Who failed to become people's 'fave'
So he teamed up with Clegg
(Who got him to beg)
And the nation just went to the grave

There was a young primate called Nick
Who thought he'd get powerful quick
Swapping values for glory
He courted a Tory
But Dave was just taking the mick

by Delilah

"The Tories are not cutting waste, they're wasting lives." David Miliband

Cutting public spending so drastically and thoughtlessly will lead to unemployment and further inefficiencies, and will inhibit growth.

This will not help economic recovery and will increase the gap between rich and poor, as many less advantaged people work in and use public services.

This is not fairness and this is not making full use of people's potential.

Therefore, it's wasting lives.

Why I won’t be watching the football

I never liked football much anyway. Now I read that, during the World Cup, domestic violence soars and there was up to a 30 per cent increase in attacks on women during last World Cup in certain areas of the UK.

According to a BBC report, only one in four offenders is under the influence of alcohol, as Matt McCormack Evans from Object points out in his blog.

So what about the other 75 per cent? Domestic violence is a manifestation of a macho culture; of men playing out their stereotyped role of the aggressive, dominant male. Football provides the breeding ground for this because it has itself a macho image and shuts out women as players, commentators and supporters.

Men are not genetically programmed to beat women – I know many men who would never do it. Rather, the men who do so are a product of a society which nurtures, encourages and accepts such behaviour.

For example, little boys are allowed to be more aggressive than girls and are ridiculed if they are not. For example, there are many misogynistic facebook groups that have sprung up, which instruct men to smack their wife or girlfriend’s face if she dares to observe that Cristiano Ronaldo is hot.

Things used to be different, apparently. Novelist Linda Green, who used to like football, writes that there was “an era before the media obsession with Wags, when the players were married to teachers and nurses, not models and pop stars, and, to the best of my knowledge, none of them took advantage of any of the young female fans”.

But now it’s changed, and I definitely won’t be watching any football. I won’t be flying any England flags either.

On the subject of Wags, a better flag to fly would be this one from Pinkstinks, which campaigns against gender stereotyping.

Diane Abbott: the Stoke Newington debate

Stoke Newington was once home to eighteenth-century British feminist and writer Mary Wollstonecraft (pictured), who bravely argued that women are not naturally inferior to men, but appeared to be only because they lack education.

On Saturday, I went to Stoke Newington Literary Festival to see Diane Abbott MP,  who has just been nominated for Labour leader by interim leader Harriet Harman.

Diane joined feminist writers Kat Banyard and Ellie Levenson to discuss whether Mary would be horrified at the state of society today. Have attitudes to women changed much over two and half centuries?

In a discussion chaired by Diane, Kat and Ellie answered questions from the audience about why society still isn’t equal, possible reasons for resistance to the word ‘feminism’, and what feminism really is.

“It’s about choice,” Ellie said. “Enabling people to make choices which can be traditionally feminine or not.” There are many everyday situations in which women are not getting those choices (see points below).

Kat described inequalities with more serious consequences, such as the rise of the sex industry, which has 'hi-jacked' the language of feminism, fooling people into thinking that sexual exploitation is sexual empowerment. She described how gender stereotypes are also damaging to men; the pressure on them to be macho and aggressive, for example.

Diane – who supported a successful campaign in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency to prevent a pub turning into a lap dancing club – summed up with her bête noire; her concern that many young girls feel pressurised to be sexual objects and believe they are valued for what they look like – not what they think. Men do not feel this to the same extent.

“It’s an insidious fight against sexualisation of young girls,” she said. “Look at male MPs with pot bellies – they walk around all happy and proud! You wouldn't see women doing that.”

Eggs, glossy mags and dirty toilets

Ellie Levenson read from her book, Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism, and listed some examples of everyday inequalities:

• She receives a letter addressed to her and her husband in his name (she didn’t change her name when she got married)
• She gets off the bus and walks home, checking several times that she is safe
• She reads a glossy mag, and sees no woman larger than a size 12
• She meets up in the daytime with her female friends with their babies – all her friends’ partners are out at work
• In a restaurant, the waiter gives her husband the menu and the bill
• She visits a friend for lunch with some male friends; the men are given two eggs while she is given one
• She goes to the bathroom. The toilet is dirty. She doesn’t clean it – and no one else does

Good sex mix, good government

Harriet Harman, the acting Labour leader, today called for a rule change to ensure half the party's shadow cabinet are women.

She was backed by Ed Miliband, who said in a tweet: “Very sympathetic to what Harriet has said today on 50% women in shadow cabinet. Will ultimately be a [Parliamentary Labour Party] decision, but I will be supporting it.”

They are right.

But…but…people are saying. I’ve listened to the buts. I’ve read the criticisms. I’ve heard the whines.  Shouldn’t selection should be based on ability, not sex? Yes – if we lived in an ideal world. Yes – if we lived in a world in which we already have equality.

But we don’t. Women are simply not getting to the top. We've had all-male shortlists for centuries, and they do not reflect the electorate. How can women compete with hundreds of years of privilege?

So it's time to redress the balance with female shortlists to get the numbers up. And it's not a question of compromising on ability, as there's plenty of that among the female pool. It just needs to be tapped. Without a boost, the status quo will not shift.

A country should not be ignoring the skills and experiences of half its people. Excluding women will result in actions that are not in the best interest of the nation as a whole.

Quotas are working in Scandinavian countries and have striking effects – read about Iceland, for example.

Revolutionary Rwanda

In Rwanda, women make up 56 per cent of parliamentarians.

By law, women must have at least 30 per cent of seats in government.

This has driven a massive cultural change:

• Women now have the right to own land and property. When they marry they can choose to pool their assets with their husband or they can keep them separate.
• Inheritance laws have been passed so that a man's property is split equally between his wife and both female and male children.
• Rape has been acknowledged as a very serious offence; there is a free police hotline and there are heavy jail sentences for perpetrators.
• Contraception has been made widely available. Women who want to stop having babies but whose husbands object are told it is their right to choose.

Juliana Kantengwa, a member of Rwanda's senate, said: "There were no-go areas, like drumming. That was a male preserve. During opening ceremonies, teams of girls now drum with strength, enthusiasm and skill… In modern times, we see fathers encouraging their daughters to do engineering and get out of nursing. We have quite a number in the army and police force."

Violence: it’s not a joke

On my way to work, I see an advert in the underground. It’s the cartoon face of a man; arched eyebrows, shadows on his leathery cheeks, cold dark eyes. He looks surprisingly real. I didn’t know what the advert was for, until I read this article by Janice Turner in the Times.

Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest-selling video games of all time. In it, your character gets points by having sex with prostitutes (see image) and even more for killing them.

Violence against prostitutes is becoming increasingly normalised in our society.

A film called Pimp has just been released.

I haven’t seen it, but I've read several reviews. Apparently, the film glorifies pimps, features brutal murders of prostitutes and champions the coercion of trafficked women into prostitution.

The star is none other than Danny Dyer, who recently wrote in Zoo magazine, replying to a man who asked advice about being heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend:

"You've got nothing to worry about, son. I'd suggest going out on a rampage with the boys, getting on the booze and smashing [this means ‘raping’ in lads’ speak] anything that moves. Then, when some bird falls for you, you can turn the tables and break her heart. Of course, the other option is to cut your ex's face, and then no one will want her."

On other occasions, he has advised his readers to set light to the pubic hair of girlfriends who don’t want to wax.

He claims he is trying to be funny.

Incitement of violence is not funny. It’s not funny because often the violence happens for real.

Three prostitutes were murdered in Bradford last week.

We heard about them because they were a series – not a lone murder. Not a lone beating or a lone rape which misses the headlines but happens much more commonly than you think.

According to Home Office crime figures, at least three quarters of UK women in prostitution have been physically assaulted and over half have been raped.

It’s not just prostitutes. One in ten women has experienced some form of sexual victimisation and the majority of perpetrators are known to the victim.

And it’s not just strangers. Partner abuse is the most common type of intimate violence and most violent crime offenders are male.

To stop this, we need nothing less than cultural change – a change to a society in which violence to women is no longer acceptable.

The prostitution law, which punishes men for paying for the sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force, is a good start.

Scumbags like Danny Dyer will probably never change. But many others – when threatened by humiliation – may finally realise that violence against women isn’t really that glamorous after all.

This article is also published on The Debate magazine discussion website, which is collating comment on gender equality in the arts and media.

Diane Abbott for PM!

“Over two decades the Labour party has led the way on diversity and equality in politics. We first elected ethnic minority MPs over 20 years ago. The Lib Dems still have none. Our policies on electing more women MPs have the other parties scrambling to catch up. The first black cabinet minister and the first 'out' gay cabinet minister were both Labour. So we need a process that honours our commitment to diversity. Furthermore, a summer-long leadership election, where all the candidates look the same, sound the same, believe roughly the same things (and actually played football together as young policy advisers under New Labour) is scarcely likely to engage the public.”

Read Diane Abbott’s full statement in the Guardian here.