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Are woman smarter then men
Executive summary
Large-scale reviews and recent studies find no consistent difference in overall intelligence between women and men: meta-analyses of intelligence tests conclude gender differences in general intelligence are likely non‑existent (N ≈ 46,605 in one review) [1], while overview sources and textbooks report that men and women do not differ on mean IQ [2]. At the same time, robust and replicated sex/gender differences appear on specific cognitive tasks (e.g., visuospatial vs. verbal skills) and in how brains are organized, so “smarter” cannot be assigned to one sex without losing important nuance [3] [4] [5].
1. What the big reviews say: no clear winner on general intelligence
Large meta‑analyses and reviews of standardized test batteries (for example, WISC studies and other Wechsler tests) conclude that there is no systematic difference in general intelligence between males and females; one meta‑analysis that reviewed 79 studies (N = 46,605) judged gender differences in fluid/general intelligence to be likely non‑existent [1]. Overviews summarizing many studies similarly report that men and women “did not differ in IQ” on average [2].
2. Where differences do show up: abilities and test subscales
Researchers repeatedly find sex/gender patterns on specific cognitive domains: females often outperform males on verbal tasks, processing speed and some memory tasks, while males often outperform females on certain visuospatial and mental rotation tasks [2] [4]. Meta‑analytic work and chapters in handbooks stress these are domain‑specific patterns rather than a global advantage [5] [4].
3. Brain anatomy and biology: different architectures, similar performance
Neuroimaging and neuroanatomical research has documented sex‑linked differences in brain structure and the neural correlates of intelligence — for instance, findings that women may use more white‑matter pathways and men more gray‑matter regions for certain tasks — but studies emphasize these produce equivalent overall intellectual performance, not superiority of one sex [3]. Recent molecular and gene‑expression studies also show hundreds to thousands of genes act differently by sex in brain tissue, indicating biological differences in brain biology; available sources do not claim this translates into an across‑the‑board intelligence gap [6] [3].
4. Distribution, variability, and outliers: the debate about tails
Some commentators and older studies discuss the “male variability hypothesis” — that male scores are more widely distributed, which could yield more males in both high and low tails of ability distributions — but this is contested and does not imply a mean difference in intelligence [7]. Other analyses have reported small mean differences in some datasets or after adjusting for correlates like height, but these findings are inconsistent across methods and periods [8] [9].
5. Self‑perception vs. measured performance
A consistent non‑scientific pattern is that men tend to overestimate their own intelligence relative to women — the “male hubris, female humility” effect — even when measured IQs are similar [10]. That means perceptions of who is “smarter” are shaped by confidence, culture and socialization as much as by objective test scores [10] [11].
6. Newer studies and contested headlines: nuance matters
Recent single studies sometimes generate headlines (for example, a 2025 Georgia State report that women outperformed men on certain incentivized decision tasks and measures of earnings efficiency tied to an intelligence task) but such findings are context‑dependent: study design, tasks used, incentives, and the difference between decision efficiency and traditional IQ measures all matter [12]. Reviews and handbooks caution against extrapolating from a single task to broad claims about one sex being “smarter” [5] [4].
7. Why the simple question is the wrong question
Experts argue that asking “Are women smarter than men?” misses the point: intelligence is multifaceted, shaped by biology, development, education and culture; small average differences on some tests coexist with broad overlap in abilities and large individual variation [4] [2]. Major handbooks and reviews recommend focusing on specific abilities and the mechanisms producing differences rather than ranking sexes [5] [4].
8. What journalists and readers should watch for
Headlines that claim one sex is “smarter” typically overstate single studies, conflate self‑assessment with measured ability, or ignore domain‑specificity and effect sizes [12] [10]. Rely on meta‑analyses and broad reviews for claims about group averages [1] [2], and treat single‑task or single‑sample results as adding nuance rather than overturning the broad consensus.
Limitations: available sources in this set do not provide every possible recent study and debates continue; where single studies contradict meta‑analyses, those findings need replication and careful scrutiny [12] [1].