Men aren’t from Mars and women aren’t from Venus, but according to a research conducted at University of Pennsylvania Medical School their brains are definitely wired differently. That perhaps explains why there are wide differences of opinion between men and women on a number of science-related topics.
According to Pew Research Center’s recent study on public views of scientific matters in the United States, men support genetically modified foods more than women. Men (66%) are also more inclined to say astronauts are essential in the future of the U.S. space program than women (52%), the study discovered. Men and women are largely at odds over animal research; a 60% majority of men favor the use of animals in scientific research, while a 62% majority of women oppose it, the study found.
On average, men are more inclined than women to favor building more nuclear power plants, to allow more offshore oil drilling and to increasing the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques to extract oil and gas. These differences are statistically significant even when controlling for political party and other factors. Holding all else equal, women also are more likely than men to say the Earth is warming (whether due to human activity or through natural processes).
Do men and women hold similar views on any science-related topics? They do, so it seems. There are no gender differences on government funding issues related to science and engineering, as well as issues related to:
- Whether childhood vaccines should be required or a matter of parental choice
- The safety of childhood vaccines
- Allowing access to experimental drug treatments before clinical trials have shown the treatments to be safe and effective
- Whether the growing world population will be a major problem from strains on food and resources or not a major problem because we will find ways to stretch resources
Before you draw any conclusion based on Pew’s findings, here is something to chew on: it’s not just men and women who differ on scientific issues.
A separate survey conducted by the Pew Research Center earlier had found a significant opinion gap between professional scientists and the wider American public on a number of scientific issues, ranging from climate change to genetically modified foods. For example, a minority of the general public (37%) said that genetically modified foods are generally safe to eat; by contrast, 88% of scientists said genetically modified foods are generally safe to eat.
What do you think of the research and its outcome? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below:
This article (This Chart Shows the Extent to Which Men and Women are at Odds Over Scientific Matters) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.
first, i have to mention, i am more like a woman than a man, compared to that first survey, even though, i am a man, lol!
now the serious part:
i think, this research shows, what most people here already thoght about the educational level of the public, especially when it comes to the intention of the public press to create a lack of education at the public. … from this point of view, this research shows the progress, mainstream media has already achieved in misguiding the society by distracting them to minor problems and keeping them busy on topics, which in fact dont really matter their living qualities…
… well, i have to admit, that people do have the freedom of choice, and so, they dicided to stay uneducated / to prior entertainment. of course, i also have to mention, that it is much more easier to decide to get entertained, than to become educated, especially when you look at the aggressivness, entertainments are adverticed, compared to the difficulties you may encounter when you want to find out something, you want to learn something.
and so, this article is a good example for the tendency of the general publi, to stay unaware – maybe because they are affraid of what they might find out, when they dare to take a deeper look.
“What do you think of the research and its outcome? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below:”
– you asked for it! there you go!
greetz
M