In his bookThe sexual paradox, published in Spain by the Paidós publishing house a few years ago, Canadian psychologist Susan Pinker questions the principle of equality between men and women in the world of work. If it is proven that we are biologically different, why do we have to set the same professional goals?
-Could you explain in a few words what the “sexual paradox” that gives your book its title consists of?
-Define a verifiable fact: girls, with more verbal skills, self-control and perseverance, tend to outperform boys at school, but this trend is reversed in adult life. Many talented women choose jobs where they earn less than they deserve and are less concerned than men with gaining status. It seems like a paradox, but only if we think that both sexes behave in the same way and harbor the same professional ambitions. In my book I collect human stories and biological findings that explain this apparent contradiction, such as sexual differences in neuronal development and the production of hormones that influence our behavior.
-What are the innate advantages or disadvantages of being a man or a woman in the world of work?
-I believe that biology is very important when it comes to understanding our job satisfaction. For example, there are differences in the way extreme competitiveness is accommodated and in the willingness to make sacrifices to prevail over rivals. It also affects the breadth of interests. On average, women are less likely to focus on a single goal. This factor can be detrimental to them when it comes to “winner-take-all” professional disputes, but it is beneficial for long-term job performance, complex social ties, and health. Either way, it is important not to lose sight of a basic principle: that innate benefits and environment always go hand in hand; separately they don’t make sense. After all, the human brain created culture, but cultural pressures make the mind evolve.
-All this will have consequences when looking for work …
To summarize, more women (between 75% and 80%) than men prefer the following jobs: 1.Those that provide flexibility and autonomy to satisfy not only work goals, but also family, social goals … 2.Those that allow work as a team, and whose projects have collective repercussions: medicine, social work, legislation, teaching … 3. With a verbal and human component, such as librarianship, book publishing or literature teaching. That is to say, the opposite of trades that involve working with inanimate objects and in solitude (computing, engineering …) 4. That allow women to exploit their greater empathy. For example, they will prefer the public sector to private and financial companies, where it is more common for the rewards to depend on taking big risks and defeating your rivals at any price.
These preferences are determined by the feminine capacity, significantly superior to the masculine one, to identify the emotions of other people and interpret their intentions. Verbal abilities also play a role – girls develop a large and complex vocabulary more quickly – and their lower adrenaline and androgen secretion in competitive situations. Sex differences also explain why there are many more psychologically fragile men: according to statistics, they suffer four times as many learning disorders. Furthermore, the fact that the number of prisoners is nine times higher than that of female prisoners indicates that it is more difficult for them to control their impulses. However, there are also more extreme men: those who risk the most to win – it is no coincidence that stockbrokers are mostly young men – or those who dedicate themselves to very specific interests, such as certain physicists or experts in super-specialized fields.
-In Spain there is some controversy with the so-called “positive discrimination”. What do you think about these types of measures?
-In general, I do not agree, because they assume that if there is equal opportunities, men and women will always choose the same things, 50%. But there are significant differences in life and career options, as well as in biology. Therefore, forcing people to choose professional careers means, for example, that women gifted in mathematics, but also in analysis, communication, empathy and socialization, will be forced to work in theoretical physics or computer science, not in clinical medicine or the public sector, if you prefer. Meanwhile, men who are good at, say, computer systems will have fewer job opportunities. Do we really want male teachers who are not really interested in educating our children just because they are men? Is it good that 50% of engineers are women, to the point of forcing them to work on something they do not want?
-In your book you often speak of the “vanilla man model” as the paradigm of success from the male point of view. Are there alternatives?
-In the past, for men they gave more importance to money and status than to being with their loved ones. This model assumes that everyone aspires, for example, to be president of a company or prime minister. But there is great variability in human nature, and women do not have to pursue the same goals.
-Do you think that today’s society is becoming feminized, that it is becoming less aggressive, less competitive?
– Absolutely. I think that, in global terms, the competition has increased. There is more pressure for both men and women to work longer hours and always be available. In addition, with the financial crisis and the increase in unemployment, it is now more difficult to request a reduced or flexible schedule, or to tell employers that family and health come first.
Pablo Colado
