RELATED (scivillage): Emily Bridges needs to face biological reality
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From bridge to chess, why men outperform women at ‘mindsports’ – and what to do about it
https://theconversation.com/from-bridge-...-it-223873
EXCERPTS: Why do men strongly outperform women at “mindsports” such as chess and bridge? Mindsports mainly use the brain and require skills such as memory, critical thinking, problem solving, strategic planning, mental discipline and judgment. Without physical differences in strength, how do we explain why the top level of such games tends to be dominated by men?
A defining characteristic of bridge, which I study, is that it is always played in partnership. [...] Male domination at both the top levels of administration and of the game means there can be a lack of recognition of the structural barriers for women.
Research conducted by the academic project Bridge: A MindSport for All (Bamsa) found that gender stereotypes and “neurosexism” (claiming there are differences between female and male brains that can explain women’s inferiority), can partly explain differences in achievement.
That’s because sexist arguments that male brains are superiorly wired for logic and mathematics can be used to offer men more opportunities and training than women.
This is despite the fact that modern research shows there isn’t such a thing as a distinctly male or female brain. Most brains are a mosaic of what we think of as feminine and masculine features. And the more mixed our brains, the better our mental health.
The brain also changes a lot depending on our environment – if we are constantly encouraged or discouraged to do certain things, such as nurturing, this will affect our brain wiring – a process called neuroplasticity.
Research has also shown that when people are reminded of a negative gender stereotype, such as women not being good at maths or men not being good at emotions, they actually perform worse on tasks measuring such ability. Men also have higher levels of general confidence than women, which is a reflection of society and can be an advantage in mindsports.
[...] Given the everyday sexism that exists in the worlds of bridge, chess and beyond, women-only events are important spaces. These can help women develop and compete in a less pressured arena relatively free of discrimination and the male gaze... (MORE - missing details)
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From bridge to chess, why men outperform women at ‘mindsports’ – and what to do about it
https://theconversation.com/from-bridge-...-it-223873
EXCERPTS: Why do men strongly outperform women at “mindsports” such as chess and bridge? Mindsports mainly use the brain and require skills such as memory, critical thinking, problem solving, strategic planning, mental discipline and judgment. Without physical differences in strength, how do we explain why the top level of such games tends to be dominated by men?
A defining characteristic of bridge, which I study, is that it is always played in partnership. [...] Male domination at both the top levels of administration and of the game means there can be a lack of recognition of the structural barriers for women.
Research conducted by the academic project Bridge: A MindSport for All (Bamsa) found that gender stereotypes and “neurosexism” (claiming there are differences between female and male brains that can explain women’s inferiority), can partly explain differences in achievement.
That’s because sexist arguments that male brains are superiorly wired for logic and mathematics can be used to offer men more opportunities and training than women.
This is despite the fact that modern research shows there isn’t such a thing as a distinctly male or female brain. Most brains are a mosaic of what we think of as feminine and masculine features. And the more mixed our brains, the better our mental health.
The brain also changes a lot depending on our environment – if we are constantly encouraged or discouraged to do certain things, such as nurturing, this will affect our brain wiring – a process called neuroplasticity.
Research has also shown that when people are reminded of a negative gender stereotype, such as women not being good at maths or men not being good at emotions, they actually perform worse on tasks measuring such ability. Men also have higher levels of general confidence than women, which is a reflection of society and can be an advantage in mindsports.
[...] Given the everyday sexism that exists in the worlds of bridge, chess and beyond, women-only events are important spaces. These can help women develop and compete in a less pressured arena relatively free of discrimination and the male gaze... (MORE - missing details)