Biology at Work

"Browne’s book demonstrates how these evolved sex differences in the brain (which Baron-Cohen and Buss talk about) manifest themselves in the workplace. Traditional social scientists (like economists and sociologists) have assumed that men and women are on the whole identical, and therefore any widespread and systematic differences in economic and social outcomes must reflect “discrimination” and other external factors. Browne argues that this is not necessarily the case, because men and women are biologically different in their preferences, temperaments, and abilities. Baron-Cohen’s book shows that male and female brains are different, and men are on average better at systemising and women on average are better at empathising. Thus “occupational sex segregation”, where men and women tend to have different occupations, is a reflection of what men and women want to do and are good at doing. This is why men far outnumber women in such systemising occupations as science and engineering, and women far outnumber men in such empathising occupations as nursing and teaching. Buss’s book shows the importance of resources and status for male mate value; it is important for men to accumulate resources and attain high status because women prefer to mate with resourceful men of high status. It is far less important for women to do so because men are mostly attracted to young, beautiful women, not rich, powerful women. Browne’s book conclusively demonstrates that men on the whole make more money and attain higher status than women, not because of “employer discrimination” or any other external factors, but simply because men want to make more money and women have better things to do than make money. In other words, occupational sex segregation and sex gap in pay exist mostly because men and women are free to pursue what they want. Complete “equality” that feminists want can only come about in a totalitarian society where men and women lose all their liberties and freedoms."