2008 Woodie Awards
Guest lecturer explains biological basis for gender differences
"Boys are from Mars, Girls are from Venus, talk implies"
Mike Winter (The Arbiter)
Issue date: 9/26/00 Section: NEWS
- Page 1 of 1
Behavior and aptitude differences between boys and girls, known as "gender differences," are biologically based, according to Joann Deak, Ph.D., a guest lecturer who spoke to more than 170 educators, counselors, and parents at BSU on Monday night, September 18.
Dr. Deak began her talk by acknowledging a debate between the "nature vs. nurture" arguments. This is the debate about whether stereotypical differences between men and women are based on biology or are learned. These differences become the rationalization for issues concerning gender equity.
It was clear that Dr. Deak is on the "nature" side. "Gender is bimodal," she stated, meaning that the brain operates differently for males and females. Therefore the gender equity obstacles that girls encounter are nothing personal, according to Dr. Deak.
The event took place at the Morrison Center recital hall and was sponsored by ANSER Public Charter School, the BSU Center for School Improvement, and the BSU College of Education. Bill Parrett, Ph.D., director of the center, introduced the speaker.
When asked about his reactions to the talk, he said he was very pleased, and that the reaction from the audience was "very positive."
Deak talked about processor neurons and auditory receptor neurons. She used humorous examples that drew laughter frequently during her 90-minute presentation, to help explain how nature, not nurture, establishes the learning and behavior differences between girls and boys.
Dr. Deak, as stated in a publicity flier, "is an internationally recognized expert on environments that bring out the best in children." She is also author of How Girls Thrive: an Essential Guide for Educators, which was available for sale at the lecture.
When asked toward the end how one explains to children that gender differences are due to brain structure, Dr. Deak stated: "You don't."
The "slight pre-dispositions" girls and boys show to certain aptitudes and behaviors must be met with understanding and patience. Boys and girls should be studying the areas in which they are not pre-disposed, she said.
These pre-dispositions for girls include: more fragile self-esteem, less willing to take risks, more emotional, less directional, and more auditory. For boys it is the opposite. Boys are more willing to look foolish than are girls.
These differences can be overcome, say Deak, but it takes effort, and it takes more effort the older you become.
"Girls' amygdala is used more than boys'" Deak stated as the reason that girls are more emotional than boys.
Deak was questioned by a reporter who said that her beliefs are criticized by some scholars as wrong and contributing to problems of gender equity, that her view has been called "the interplanetary theory" of men and women (Mars and Venus), and that scientific research usually finds what it expects to find.
Deak responded that her information comes from control groups, and that the beliefs of such scholars is "opinion work."
Deak went on to report that, among the differences created by estrogen and testosterone is that females are five times more likely to get Alzheimer's disease because of estrogen.
She stated that sodium bleaches calcium from the body, so pop machines should be removed from schools.
She concluded with the recommendation that schools start at 9 am because adolescents are naturally awake later at night than are children. This was done in Minnesota, she said, and grades improved by a full point.
