<p>According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality_paradox" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>, the gender-equality paradox is the finding that various gender differences in personality and occupational choice are larger in more gender-equal countries.</p>
<p>When looking for more information about this, most of the articles accessible for the general public seem to boil down to &quot;gender stereotypes&quot;, &quot;unconscious biases&quot; and &quot;insufficient public policy to address the gap&quot; etc., without providing many details or scientific references.</p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiJVJ5QRRUE&amp;ab_channel=hgoetkehgoetke" rel="nofollow noreferrer">rather old short documentary</a> discusses the specific case of Norway, one of <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-world-can-learn-about-equality-from-the-nordic-model-99797" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the most egalitarian countries in the world</a>. It tries to provide possible explanations for the gender-equality paradox in Norway, and the main causes can be grouped as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>there are virtually only social causes (example at timestamp 8:30)</li>
<li>biological differences are a very important cause (examples at 14:50 and 19:50). Thus, <em>on average</em> a man's aspirations are different from a woman's, especially when they have maximum freedom.</li>
</ul>
<p>Some of the scientists in the movie refer to &quot;cutting edge&quot; studies, but those studies are at least 9 years old. I am wondering how much the biological / brain development arguments are still valid from a scientific perspective.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-15T14:38:04.673Z
Could it be as simple as wanting something you can't have more than you would want it if you could have it?  Or fear of "letting the side down" if you eventually realize it was a bad choice?
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-16T13:43:01.240Z
has some ressources https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/23642/is-jordan-peterson-correct-when-he-states-that-as-societies-become-more-egalita
CuriousIndeed
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-24T00:41:26.310Z
A lot of people use the term "neuroscience" when they actually mean "psychology" - are you really interested in the neuroscience of gender equality (eg, brain scans), or are you just interested in the nature vs nurture debate about this topic?
Arnon Weinberg
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-24T04:01:57.260Z
@ArnonWeinberg Any perspective is welcomed, as long as it is backed up by a scientific approach.
Alexei
<gender>
What is the current neuroscience perspective on the gender-equality paradox?
Alexei
# What is the current neuroscience perspective on the gender-equality paradox?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-15)

According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality_paradox), the gender-equality paradox is the finding that various gender differences in personality and occupational choice are larger in more gender-equal countries.

When looking for more information about this, most of the articles accessible for the general public seem to boil down to "gender stereotypes", "unconscious biases" and "insufficient public policy to address the gap" etc., without providing many details or scientific references.

This [rather old short documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiJVJ5QRRUE&ab_channel=hgoetkehgoetke) discusses the specific case of Norway, one of [the most egalitarian countries in the world](https://theconversation.com/what-the-world-can-learn-about-equality-from-the-nordic-model-99797). It tries to provide possible explanations for the gender-equality paradox in Norway, and the main causes can be grouped as follows:

* there are virtually only social causes (example at timestamp 8:30)
* biological differences are a very important cause (examples at 14:50 and 19:50). Thus, *on average* a man's aspirations are different from a woman's, especially when they have maximum freedom.

Some of the scientists in the movie refer to "cutting edge" studies, but those studies are at least 9 years old. I am wondering how much the biological / brain development arguments are still valid from a scientific perspective.

**Tags:** gender

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Could it be as simple as wanting something you can't have more than you would want it if you could have it?  Or fear of "letting the side down" if you eventually realize it was a bad choice?  
> **username_2**: has some ressources https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/23642/is-jordan-peterson-correct-when-he-states-that-as-societies-become-more-egalita  
> **username_3**: A lot of people use the term "neuroscience" when they actually mean "psychology" - are you really interested in the neuroscience of gender equality (eg, brain scans), or are you just interested in the nature vs nurture debate about this topic?  
> **username_0**: @ArnonWeinberg Any perspective is welcomed, as long as it is backed up by a scientific approach.  

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## 0 answers

