Are Females Smarter Than Males?

[+ Avalon]

I know that females mature earlier than males but are they smarter than males? I've been watching "Genius Junior". It consisted of teams of three people. Most teams had two girls and one boy.

[+ sniper]

Average IQs for males and females are not different in a statistically significant amount, but males have a higher variance, which means they have more people at the top and bottom of the scale versus the middle.

At earlier ages females tend to outperform the boys significantly, then at some point it flips at the top. Some believe that is due to different socialization and that most elementary education is much more suited to girls' relative strengths. i.e. since they mature earlier they are better able to sit still and pay attention.

[+ quoththeraven]

I don't think there's any inherent difference, but because of the power differentials in society educated women may have a more nuanced view of the world than similarly situated men. I'm particularly thinking of men I've known at work who thought that by snapping their fingers they could get work done in a period of time or to a standard that showed no understanding of what was required to accomplish the task. Women are more likely to understand. (But beware the women like Anna Winotur who follow men's lead on this. They're as toxic to work for as men who do the same thing except for lower likelihood of sexual harassment.)

 

Being marginalized or viewed as lesser forces people to exert themselves more to keep up with the favored group(s).