It’s an oft-quoted maxim that men have better spatial ability than women. That’s why, it’s argued, more men are employed in fields such as engineering and technology.
But a new study of separate tribes - one male dominated, and another in which women had more power - in northern India, has suggested that these traits are inherited culturally, not through genetics.
Anexperiment with nearly 1,300 participants showed the gender gap in spatial abilities, measured by time to solve a puzzle, disappeared when dealing with a patrilineal, rather than a matrilineal society.
Read more at University of Maryland