Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus is not just a title of a book. People speak of it as if it is a truth. We are not just different, we are from different planets. This kind of thinking is so ingrained in us that we usually don't even question whether it is based on fact. A new study shows that all the evidence points us being completely wrong. By looking at MRI scan of brains, scientists have found that brains do not have characteristics that are "male" or "female." The different features of the brain vary across a spectrum.
This idea of a brain that varies across a spectrum speaks to the experience of people who live outside of the gender binary. This study indicates that the differences that exist in gender are influenced by culture and society more than by biology. The lead researcher, Daphna Joel of Tel Aviv University told the New Scientist, “We separate girls and boys, men and women all the time. It’s wrong, not just politically, but scientifically – everyone is different.”
This idea of a brain that varies across a spectrum speaks to the experience of people who live outside of the gender binary. This study indicates that the differences that exist in gender are influenced by culture and society more than by biology. The lead researcher, Daphna Joel of Tel Aviv University told the New Scientist, “We separate girls and boys, men and women all the time. It’s wrong, not just politically, but scientifically – everyone is different.”
This study is just one more reminder that all of our students have the ability to learn what we teach them, regardless of gender. Boys aren't born better than girls at math, science, or spatial reasoning. And girls aren't born being better at reading or writing. We need to keep making sure we are teaching all students. We can't make assumptions about what they can or cannot do based on their gender, but must work to reach all of them. And we have to watch what we are doing to reinforce the culture that insists on a gender binary with boys and girls from different planets.
I love these kinds of studies. It is good for us to have our assumptions overturned - it makes us all have to work a little smarter about how we teach our students. Being kept on our toes can make us all stronger teachers...if we let it.
I love these kinds of studies. It is good for us to have our assumptions overturned - it makes us all have to work a little smarter about how we teach our students. Being kept on our toes can make us all stronger teachers...if we let it.