changing face of cognitive gender differences in Europe

Cognitive gender differences and the reasons for their origins have fascinated researchers for decades. Using nationally representative data to investigate gender differences in cognitive performance in middle-aged and older populations across Europe, we show that the magnitude of these differences...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2014-08, Vol.111 (32), p.11673-11678
Main Authors: Weber, Daniela, Skirbekk, Vegard, Freund, Inga, Herlitz, Agneta
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
cognitive aging
Cohort Studies
Cross-Cultural Comparison
cross-cultural research
Education
Educational opportunities
Educational Status
Europe
Female
Gender differences
Gender equality
gender inequality
Gender performativity
Geographic regions
Humans
Living conditions
Male
Memory
Memory, Episodic
Men
Middle Aged
middle-aged adults
Numeracy
Psychometrics
researchers
Sex Characteristics
sex differences
Sex linked differences
Social Conditions
Social Sciences
women
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Summary:Cognitive gender differences and the reasons for their origins have fascinated researchers for decades. Using nationally representative data to investigate gender differences in cognitive performance in middle-aged and older populations across Europe, we show that the magnitude of these differences varies systematically across cognitive tasks, birth cohorts, and regions, but also that the living conditions and educational opportunities individuals are exposed to during their formative years are related to their later cognitive performance. Specifically, we demonstrate that improved living conditions and less gender-restricted educational opportunities are associated with increased gender differences favoring women in some cognitive functions (i.e., episodic memory) and decreases (i.e., numeracy) or elimination of differences in other cognitive abilities (i.e., category fluency). Our results suggest that these changes take place due to a general increase in women’s cognitive performance over time, associated with societal improvements in living conditions and educational opportunities.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1319538111