Men's and Women's IQ Generally Equal

"Are men smarter than women? No. But they sure think they are. An analysis of some 30 studies by British researcher Adrian Furnham, a professor of psychology at University College London, shows that men and women are fairly equal overall in terms of IQ. But women, it seems, underestimate their own candlepower (and that of women in general), while men overestimate theirs. Furnham talks to NEWSWEEK's Joan Raymond about his findings and why perceived IQ matters."

The above is an excerpt from an excellent article in Newsweek, and I thought it highlighted some possible reasons that there are still disparities in the success that men and women achieve in the workplace. The piece details that men's and women's IQs tend to be relatively similar, but men tend to overestimate their abilities, while women tend to underestimate theirs. As we all know, confidence in oneself is often key to success at work, so it doesn't surprise me that (often) women are passed up for promotions in favor of men; according to this study, men simply exude an aura that they are better suited to the than their female counterparts, whether or not they actually are.

Of course, I don't believe that's the only reason that women are often overlooked in the workplace: the fact that childbearing responsibilities often fall solely to the mother, maternity leave, time off for children's events, that good ol' glass ceiling, etc. all contribute as well. But this article is definitely an interesting read, and I agree with many of the conclusions.