So, men and women are different after all. In other news, the Pope is still Catholic and the Earth still orbits around the sun.
New research, published earlier this week by neuroscientists from Stanford University, proves for the first time that men and women’s brains work in very different ways. The team, led by Professor Vinod Menon, used artificial intelligence (AI) to read multiple MRI brain scans and detect differences based on sex.
The technology could distinguish between a man and a woman with 90 per cent accuracy, based on activity in neural ‘hotspot’ areas.
The science supports what many of us have known all along. Men and women are different. Not better or worse; not superior or inferior – but different.
No one should be left in any doubt that whatever someone chooses to ‘identify’ as, their sex is biological, immutable and defines both their physical appearance and how their brain works.
Video at a Massachusetts high school shows a transgender player ripping the ball out of a young girl’s hands, leaving her sprawled on the floor in agony
And it’s not just our brains. Only this week research showed that men need to do twice as much exercise as women to get the same long-term benefits. When I ran my fitness business I saw these inherent differences between men and women clients first-hand – both in terms of physiology and psychology.
Men were typically stronger while women were often more flexible. Men also responded better to my tough-love approach. I would often encourage my clients by shouting things – affectionately of course – like: ‘Come on you big lump of lard, put some effort in!’ The boys loved it. The girls… well they just couldn’t take it. And that’s not a stereotype – that’s biology.
For years we’ve been told not to stereotype people based on their gender. For example, it’s no longer acceptable to suggest that men tend to be more aggressive and more likely to enjoy contact sports or that women are typically more emotional and domestically-minded. Well, this new research proves that rather than fictitious social constructs, gender stereotypes are the result of very real differences in how male and female brains work.
It is also a fact that someone with a male brain will typically have a categorically male body, and vice versa. For example, men tend to have denser bones, larger vital organs and more muscle mass. Women tend to be shorter, have wider hips, carry more fat and have thinner vocal cords.
Now, I don’t care if a man wants to identify as a woman. However, that does not change the fact that he still has a male body which has been through male puberty. Sex is not fluid. I’ll say it again: it is a biological reality. Sadly, as we are now seeing all too often, people are ignoring this key distinction and with devastating consequences.
Just this week, a girl’s high school basketball game in Massachusetts was abandoned after a biological male, identifying as a woman, injured three opposing players. The offender was over 6ft tall and had a beard. Footage shared online shows the man violently ripping the ball out of a young girl’s hands, leaving her sprawled on the floor in agony.
Asserting biological differences between the sexes isn’t about disempowering the ‘weaker’ gender. It’s about keeping them safe. How long before a man competing in sport against women goes too far and someone gets seriously injured or – God forbid – killed?
Once upon a time, women had to underplay their biological distinctions in order to get on in the world. Today, we have to remind men of their physical superiority simply to stop them hurting us.
I sincerely hope that this new study, which emphasises the difference between men and women, helps our society to wake up from the gender-fluid illusion. Because peddling a theory of sex and gender that directly contradicts the science – well that’s nothing more than a conspiracy. And as we’re already seeing from the sports field to female-only changing rooms, the consequences are very serious indeed.
And the losers are always women.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
