Boys and their Toys
Boys love their toys. This is why 99% of all patents are registered by men. Girls love to play with toys too but usually lose interest by age 12 as they begin to grow into young women. Men never lose their obsession for impractical, spatially-related toys - they just spend a lot more on them. They love miniature pocket TVs, mobile phones shaped like cars, computer and video games, digital cameras, complicated gadgets, lights that go off or on by voice command and anything that has an engine. If it beeps, blinks and needs at least six D-cell batteries, most men want one.
How Women Feel
Any discussion on gender differences such as those in this book brings howls of protest from feminists and politically correct activists, who see it as undermining many of their arguments for a fair go in life. But while the prejudices of society may reinforce and exacerbate stereotypical behaviour in males and females, and fun- damental inequities, the stereotypes are not the cause of the behaviour. Our basic biology and how our brains are organised are the culprits. Many women feel that they are failures or that women in general have failed by not conquering male-dominated areas. That's simply not true. Women haven't failed; they've merely not been particularly well-equipped to enter areas that suit male brains much more
"Women haven't failed - they've only failed to be like men"
The idea that women have not succeeded in society is only valid when based on the assumption that success by male standards is, or should be, the benchmark for everyone's success. But who says being a chief executive controlling a corporation, flying a jumbo jet or pro- gramming a space shuttle's computer is the ultimate measure of fulfilment? Men do. It's their standard of excellence, not everyone's.
Can You Improve Your Spatial Skill?
In a word, yes. There are several alternatives. You can wait for the natural process of evolution to take place and constantly practise your spatial activities until your brain develops sufficient connections. Be prepared for the long haul with this one, though. Biologists estimate that it could take thousands of years. A course of testosterone hormones will also improve spatial ability, but this is not a satisfactory option as the downside includes increased aggression level, baldness and a beard, which might not suit most women. It is now clear that practice and repetition help per- manently to create more brain connections for a given task. Rats raised in cages full of toys have more brain mass than rats with no toys. Humans who retire to do nothing lose their brain mass, whereas those who keep active mental interests maintain mass and even increase it. Learning and practising how maps work can greatly increase your practical ability to use them, just as daily practice on the piano makes for more competent playing. Unless the player has the kind of brain circuitry that facilitates intuitive playing, however, lots of regular practice is required to maintain a reasonable level. Unless the piano player or map reader keeps that up, their skill level will diminish more quickly and take longer to recover than a person whose brain is wired to handle the task.
"A bald head and a beard might be too high a price to pay for women to improve their spatial skills."
You can successfully teach a dog to walk on its hind legs, and if it repeats this behaviour regularly, its offspring are also likely to do it too. But it's not a dog's natural position and it takes a lot of pain and effort to walk that way. A dog's natural position is on four legs.
Some Useful Strategies
If you are a woman raising a son or have men in your life, you need to understand that while they have excellent spatial ability, most can still only do one thing at a time. Most need help to organise their homework, diary and life in order to be effective boys and men. These organisational skills come more naturally to girls and women. Albert Einstein was a spatial genius but he didn't speak until the age of five and he had almost no organisational or interpersonal skills, as his hairstyle showed. If you are a male in a spatially-related job such as building or architecture, you need to understand that most women need a three-dimensional perspective if you are to be convincing.
"Want to persuade a woman to go with a certain set of plans? Show her a three-dimensional version."
If you are recruiting women into spatially-related occu- pations such as engineering, the market for these prospects is only about 10% of all women, so target only those women. To attempt a marketing strategy to encompass all women based on the fact that they make up 50% of the population is a futile exercise.
Boys love their toys. This is why 99% of all patents are registered by men. Girls love to play with toys too but usually lose interest by age 12 as they begin to grow into young women. Men never lose their obsession for impractical, spatially-related toys - they just spend a lot more on them. They love miniature pocket TVs, mobile phones shaped like cars, computer and video games, digital cameras, complicated gadgets, lights that go off or on by voice command and anything that has an engine. If it beeps, blinks and needs at least six D-cell batteries, most men want one.
How Women Feel
Any discussion on gender differences such as those in this book brings howls of protest from feminists and politically correct activists, who see it as undermining many of their arguments for a fair go in life. But while the prejudices of society may reinforce and exacerbate stereotypical behaviour in males and females, and fun- damental inequities, the stereotypes are not the cause of the behaviour. Our basic biology and how our brains are organised are the culprits. Many women feel that they are failures or that women in general have failed by not conquering male-dominated areas. That's simply not true. Women haven't failed; they've merely not been particularly well-equipped to enter areas that suit male brains much more
"Women haven't failed - they've only failed to be like men"
The idea that women have not succeeded in society is only valid when based on the assumption that success by male standards is, or should be, the benchmark for everyone's success. But who says being a chief executive controlling a corporation, flying a jumbo jet or pro- gramming a space shuttle's computer is the ultimate measure of fulfilment? Men do. It's their standard of excellence, not everyone's.
Can You Improve Your Spatial Skill?
In a word, yes. There are several alternatives. You can wait for the natural process of evolution to take place and constantly practise your spatial activities until your brain develops sufficient connections. Be prepared for the long haul with this one, though. Biologists estimate that it could take thousands of years. A course of testosterone hormones will also improve spatial ability, but this is not a satisfactory option as the downside includes increased aggression level, baldness and a beard, which might not suit most women. It is now clear that practice and repetition help per- manently to create more brain connections for a given task. Rats raised in cages full of toys have more brain mass than rats with no toys. Humans who retire to do nothing lose their brain mass, whereas those who keep active mental interests maintain mass and even increase it. Learning and practising how maps work can greatly increase your practical ability to use them, just as daily practice on the piano makes for more competent playing. Unless the player has the kind of brain circuitry that facilitates intuitive playing, however, lots of regular practice is required to maintain a reasonable level. Unless the piano player or map reader keeps that up, their skill level will diminish more quickly and take longer to recover than a person whose brain is wired to handle the task.
"A bald head and a beard might be too high a price to pay for women to improve their spatial skills."
You can successfully teach a dog to walk on its hind legs, and if it repeats this behaviour regularly, its offspring are also likely to do it too. But it's not a dog's natural position and it takes a lot of pain and effort to walk that way. A dog's natural position is on four legs.
Some Useful Strategies
If you are a woman raising a son or have men in your life, you need to understand that while they have excellent spatial ability, most can still only do one thing at a time. Most need help to organise their homework, diary and life in order to be effective boys and men. These organisational skills come more naturally to girls and women. Albert Einstein was a spatial genius but he didn't speak until the age of five and he had almost no organisational or interpersonal skills, as his hairstyle showed. If you are a male in a spatially-related job such as building or architecture, you need to understand that most women need a three-dimensional perspective if you are to be convincing.
"Want to persuade a woman to go with a certain set of plans? Show her a three-dimensional version."
If you are recruiting women into spatially-related occu- pations such as engineering, the market for these prospects is only about 10% of all women, so target only those women. To attempt a marketing strategy to encompass all women based on the fact that they make up 50% of the population is a futile exercise.
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