The Role Of Sex Differences In Pop Culture

Sex differences are a controversial topic, and over time, they (and the studies on them) have become embedded in pop culture so much that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Most importantly, these studies, if done incorrectly, can contribute – and often cater – to the prevalent stereotypes about men and women. Helgeson cites several cognitive abilities in her assessment: spatial, mathematical, and verbal. She notes that spatial ability (the method of using mental images rather than words) appears to be in favor of men – but that all depends on the way spatial ability is used or interpreted. For example, a recent (Voyer et al., 2007) study came to the conclusion that women outperform men in both object location and identity, although men were better at locating and identifying traditionally masculine objects whereas women excelled at locating and identifying traditionally feminine objects. However – how much of this can be attributed to conditioning? Helgeson also makes the excellent point that spatial ability is almost entirely ignored in the U.S. education system, with sex differences being related along an almost “left-brain, right-brain” plane: men, the “left-brain,” use their spatial ability in pursuit of logic-heavy, scientific careers; women, by contrast, are “right-brained” and use their spatial ability in more artistic …show more content…
Throughout America’s history, only a handful of school shooters have been female; in the last three years alone (since Sandy Hook), there have been almost 100 school shootings, and rather than focusing on high schools, the pattern is carrying over into middle and elementary schools and