From ScienceDaily:
The take-home points from this review are that the sex difference in sports interest is (1) substantial and widespread, (2) partly due to evolutionary pressures that differentially affected males and females, and (3) unlikely to be fully overturned by socialization. These points challenge the bedrock assumptions of many scholars and policy makers. Most notably, Title IX is a U.S. law that prohibits sexual discrimination in educational opportunities, including sports, and Title IX is generally implemented under the assumption that females’ sports interest is intrinsically equal to that of males. The present research indicates that this implementation may require revision. More. (paywall) Paper. – Robert O. Deaner, Shea M. Balish, Michael P. Lombardo. Sex differences in sports interest and motivation: An evolutionary perspective.. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 2016; 10 (2): 73 DOI: 10.1037/ebs0000049
These researchers deserve credit for taking on bureaucratic craziness. Hope it doesn’t kill their careers.
In a normal environment, there would be nothing to know. Women are less interested in sports for the same reason that they are less interested in Nobel prizes: Many are drawn off by other interests, like raising kids.
Not clear why one should drag “evolution” into it. If the world had been created on Sunday afternoon in 1000 AD, all this would still be the same.
See also: Neuroscientist Sam Harris says he is NOT a sexist pig, and clearly isn’t
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