Women smarter than men – study

A research carried out by Prof. James Robert Flynn, a researcher on intelligence and Professor of Political Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has shown that women’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ), scored higher than their male counterparts for the first time in 100 years.The measurement of someone’s IQ is trusted in science spheres, notably as an instrument to understand people’s performances.For a long time, IQ scores have been used to predict the educational achievements of individuals, special needs, as well as job performance.The research reveals that IQ has continuously ascended year-after-year in all parts of the world, a phenomenon that was coined as the Flynn Effect.Flynn looked at IQ scores from Western Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Estonia and Argentina He discovered that women are now scoring better in modern IQ tests than men since their introduction in 1905.He attributed the score to the “increasingly complicated nature of our society accounts for the changes’ but admitted that “more research is needed to make any definitive claims”.However, Dr. Nasson Munyandamutsa, a Rwandan Psychiatrist, argues that although IQ results can help administer psychological treatment, it cannot be used as a sole measure for performances of particular populations.“You cannot, for example, claim that the best candidate in high school has a higher IQ than the second best candidate because, in another semester, they could interchange positions. Other factors like hard work, concentration levels and team work come in,” he said. “The fact that the research concentrated on Western countries and did not have a wide enough sample size annihilates its credibility and cannot be used as a reference point for areas that were not included.”Much as it is good news for women in the developed world, Flynn’s research may not help in the fight against sexism or racism, according to Dr Rose Uwicyeza, of the Bio Medical Centre.“I do not see the essence or relevance of Flynn’s research in the prevention of oppression against women all over the world. IQ tests should be used to measure individuals and not sexes or races,” Uwicyeza said.“Other than that, women in Africa have greatly improved the development of their countries and in Rwanda, it has been proved that when women are put in leadership positions, they can do just as great a job as a man can do. In my opinion, it is simply a matter of history changing and giving women their due, putting their futures in their own hands.”

National

Women smarter than men – study