Gender Discrimination Might Make Three Parts Of The Female Brain Thinner, According To New Research
Gender discrimination that occurs during the formative years of females’ lives may make parts of their brains thinner, according to new research conducted by an international team of psychologists, neuroscientists, and mental health specialists.
For this study, the team analyzed data from 29 counties and searched for possible brain impacts among women who encountered gender discrimination during childhood.
Past research has suggested that gender discrimination could potentially impact brain function– with certain studies pointing to lower academic achievement and mental health problems.
For this new study, however, the researchers were particularly interested in ascertaining whether gender discrimination leads to physical impairment signs.
To determine this, they looked at MRI scans from 7,876 people who lived in 29 different countries. Additionally, the team studied other data sets related to academic records and social standing.
Finally, the team included inequality indexes which were calculated to determine the gender discrimination degree associated with different nations.
The study revealed a pattern in which women from countries with higher inequality indexes had three brain areas that were thinner compared to women from nations with little gender inequality. The team also found a direct correlation between higher index numbers and thinner brain regions.
The three brain regions were all located in the right hemisphere and included the right caudal anterior cingulate, the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, and the left lateral occipital cortex.
And these parts of the brain are actually negatively impacted among kids of both genders in adverse childhood conditions.
Rido – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
The researchers ultimately suggested that, in some countries, a self-fulfilling prophecy may be unfolding. If women are thought to be less intelligent than men by country leaders, then social practices and laws will lead to gender discrimination.
Then, this gender discrimination negatively impacts women’s brains as they grow– which could potentially harm their intelligence.
Moving forward, the team advocated for leaders to break the cycle and reject gender discriminatory stereotypes in order to prevent adverse physical effects among women.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in PNAS, visit the link here.
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