If women are worse drivers than men, it may be because their confidence has been compromised by sexist jokes, researchers suggest. A study by researchers at the University of Georgia and the University of Warwick in Britain found jokes about female drivers could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Our research suggests that by making a woman feel better about herself, she’ll become better at tasks such as parking the car or reading a map,” said Dr. Zachary Estes, a co-author of the study. “So a little bit of confidence-boosting may go a long way when it comes to parallel parking in a tight spot.” The study involved 500 college students who were asked to complete a variety of tasks. In some tests the students were given positive or negative feedback on their performance. Researchers found women who were praised tended to do as well on the tasks as their male counterparts.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Hey, Lighten Up On The Female Driver Jokes!
If women are worse drivers than men, it may be because their confidence has been compromised by sexist jokes, researchers suggest. A study by researchers at the University of Georgia and the University of Warwick in Britain found jokes about female drivers could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Our research suggests that by making a woman feel better about herself, she’ll become better at tasks such as parking the car or reading a map,” said Dr. Zachary Estes, a co-author of the study. “So a little bit of confidence-boosting may go a long way when it comes to parallel parking in a tight spot.” The study involved 500 college students who were asked to complete a variety of tasks. In some tests the students were given positive or negative feedback on their performance. Researchers found women who were praised tended to do as well on the tasks as their male counterparts.
