Are men GENERALLY more mechanically inclined than women?

Question

With women going into all fields of study, why hasn't more women grativated to this field of work? What does this say, if anything about the female mind set?

Answer 1

lol ah that they don't want to get there hands all greasy, it is not from a lack of ability i don't thank but more a lack of interest.

o let me add here that being mechanically inclined does not just encompass mechanics but also engineering, and there you be wrong there are lot more women in that field today than there ever was before. so in that i have to disagree with you.

Answer 2

First off, no one and I do mean no one should be fired for merely asking a question. Even if it's the President of Harvard or the most sexist question ever. Screaming Heretic is what kept us thinking the world was flat for so long.... I'm a girl and I don't find the question itself offensive. I only think that if the answer is bullshit.

I know there are female race car drivers and things like that, but it doesn't seem like most girls are mechanically inclined.

I don't know if its genetics, environment, or choice or ... something else.

Personally, I don't really want to get under the hood of my car. I don't find it appealing at all.

But the question at hand is if we're generally ... etc etc....

I don't know and there's no real way you can prove it one way or the other. I was raised with dolls and taught to be cute and I think a lot of other girls are too. So when you say to me, "get yourself completely stained in grease," I'm not exactly lining up for that.

Personally, I'm a law student and that involves a ton of "mechanics." It doesn't have any grease or gears, but I assure you it's rather complex. There are processes that kinda mimic how my car works (I think).

You need air, spark, and gas for a piston to fire.

You need probable cause, a criminal act, and a criminal motive to prosecute....

In summation, it's a personal choice as far as I know with me. I don't know that it's prejudice or anything else, but when you raise a little kid to be cute and clean, don't expect them to want to get dirty. If it says anything about the female mindset (mind explaining what that is please?) then its that its modeled by how girls are raised in general.  

Here's the issue:

I liked my dolls and things. I intend to raise my future daughters with them.

At the same time, I know there are women out there who have  a harder time breaking the mold those dolls put them into.

So it becomes "which is better."

giving up the dolls > or < keeping them?

Answer 3

i can tell you that it is difficult for a woman to get a job as a mechanic of any kind.

beyond that, i don't think that women are any less capable of understanding rudimentary mechanics.

Answer 4

I think anyone of either gender can excel in anything if they 1) have basic intelligence at a reasonably high level 2) have a great work ethic and 3) have a burning desire to do it. That's all you need to do just about anything within reason. And being a mechanic is well within reason.

So inclined isn't the word I would use. I would say most women simply don't have #3 in this field and #3 is definitely the most important part. The women who do possess #3 in this field become mechanics! It's that simple.

My #3 is in bioengineering. So off I go to PhD-ville. I simply want to do it badly enough.

It's pretty basic stuff. I've read a lot of scientific studies on the differences between men's and women's brains and while I do think a lot of it is reasonable and more than likely accurate in most of the population... desire trumps all. If you want it badly enough, you will get it. Period. That overrides genetics in this arena, I believe.

Answer 5

you have no concept of the h**l a woman goes through if she wants to be an engineer or a mechanic.

Answer 6

I think its fact. Not that they aren't mechanical.... its that their brains think differently and they cant usually see the out come so they cant perform the task.. am i making any sense?

Answer 7

If you were the President of Harvard, you'd get fired for asking a question that seems to imply that  women's and  men's brains are wired differently.

Whether or not men are generally more mechanically inclined than women from a genetic viewpoint seems to be less important on how they see their roles.  

Of course, there are top female auto mechanics -- even in the professional racing field.  But, since there are so many more young guys interested in working on cars than there are young girls interested in working on cars, there are more top male mechanics in the pro racing profession.

Perhaps it is something simple like having grease under fingernails.  Young men don't mind their nails being dirty or cracked or beat-up and they think their hot car will help them attract young women -- Young women want their nails to look good, because they think it attract young men.  I think it is as simple as that.

Answer 8

Men and women are wired differently.  We like different things and are innately better/worse at different things.

There are numerous structural/chemical differences in the brains of men and women that results in different behaviors/abilities.

Don't be like Larry Summers.

It's OK to believe what scientific research has proven and continues to prove.

Here's a little thing about Larry and scientific fields:

http://isteve.com/2005_Education_of_Larr...

Answer 9

I am a woman and I have a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering. I'm a better mechanic than most men I met in my life and I've work as a lecturer in a university teaching Mechanical Engineering. I'm planning to get my PhD too.

In my experience, it's not the studies or the practical that is difficult. The hardest part is dealing with male coworker or fellow students that think that this field is not a woman field. They see it as a man turf and if there's any woman who tries to enter that field, she has to work twice as hard to prove herself worthy as an engineer.  If the woman is good looking, the male coworkers will say that she gets by using her look and if she's not attractive, they will say things like 'No wonder she can do it, she's a man!'.

This kind of unfriendly attitude made many women back off the field of engineering, especially the mechanical engineering. They feel unwelcome and unwanted.

Finding a place to work is also a problem. Most job opening is in a factory where they work in shifts. Many preferred men for the job, especially because women can get pregnant and many companies see working in factory as a mechanic and being pregnant is too high a risk to take.

I wish more women going into this field of study and work. It is always nice to have a female touch in a male dominating field.

Answer 10

School is like h**l for women. They like to tell people what to do for them.

Men do it.

Hunting and gathering has become , look what I grilled , and made for you.

Answer 11

Yes generally. But it doesn't mean that a women couldn't understand mechanics if they really wanted to it's just that they choose not to. That is my general impression.