Watch out for intellect,
because it knows so much it knows nothing
and leaves you hanging upside down,
mouthing knowledge as your heart
falls out of your mouth.
"Admonitions to a Special Person" by Anne Sexton (607)

The Female/Male Intelligence


The University of Edinburgh Centre's Dr. Halla Bellof recently conducted a study with the belief that men see themselves as being more intelligent than women.  Students were asked to rate their own IQ and that of their parents.  Most males rated their mother as lower and their father as equal, while females rated their mothers as equal and their fathers slightly higher.  Bellof said that in both cases the "mothers came out as inferior to fathers."

The study included 767 first year Psychology students (502 female and 265 male).  Bellof hoped that there would be some change in the student's attitudes over a few years, but the results remained constant.

Beloff claims that the results are significant and "may be one of the reasons why fewer women put themselves forward to become high achievers.  Despite equality in entrance qualifications, the pattern was consistent each year, with the average self-rating being higher by men than women.  It appears that women have not been affected by the women's movement as might have been expected.