Gender Difference in Fluid Intelligence: Breaking The ‘Brilliant= Male’ Stereotype

Abstract

It has been a long-held notion that males as a group are more intelligent than females. This ‘male=brilliant’ stereotype is not only an untested belief, but has also influenced the way men and women are perceived and the careers they choose or the roles they are assigned. Previous studies that have looked at gender differences in intelligence have more often focused on the crystalized or acquired aspect of intelligence. In this research, an attempt was made to test this long held stereotype, by studying gender differences in fluid intelligence. For this purpose, a sample of 140 children (74 boys and 66 girls) was taken (age range between 5 – 10 years). The Draw A Person Test of Intelligence for Children, Adolescents ; Adults (Reynolds ; Hickman, 2004) was administered on the sample and the scores of boys and girls were statistically analyzed using t test. The present study found girls to be significantly superior in comparison to boys when tested on fluid intelligence (p1lt;0.05). The results are discussed in light of Cattell’s GF- GC theory. Conclusions about possible reasons for the existence of the ‘male=brilliant’ stereotype and implications of research on this topic in light of the changing demands of the society are drawn.