Does Gender Inequality Cause Women's Brains To Shrink? Study Reveals

A recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that gender inequality is associated with the different structures of male and female brains. The global research findings found that the cortical thickness of the right hemisphere of women’s brains was thinner than men’s in countries with greater gender inequality.

The differences in the structures of male and female brains were insignificant in gender-equal countries. In the case of women in countries with greater gender inequality, the areas of their brains associated with emotions and stress were affected. The study found that it also affected stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, etc.

Women's Brain Shrink Due To Gender Inequality

The lead author of the study, Dr Nicolas Croosley, who is a visiting professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, said that the adverse social environment in which many women live contributes to some sex differences in brain structure. He added that, hence, they believe that what they have found is the effect of chronic stress in women’s brains in countries with gender inequality.

The study involved researchers looking at the MRI scans of 4,078 women and 3,798 men between the ages of 18 and 40 from countries including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, South Africa, and China.

Dr Croosley also pointed out that stress affects neuronal connections, which were seen as thinning of the grey matter cortex in the MRI scans. He added that other factors, such as lower opportunities for women, could lead to lower development of connections.

The results of the study suggest that it is possible that gender inequality may have a hazardous effect on women's brains by increasing their chances of mental health problems and reducing their academic performance.

Dr Croosley, who is also an associate professor at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Chile, said that there was potential for this research to inform gender equality policies, but further research is needed to examine in greater depth when and how it occurs.

Last year, a study by the Universities of East Anglia, Birmingham, and Brunel revealed that the time girls and young women spent on unpaid domestic labour contributed to the gender pay gap.

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