Men relate better to home appliances
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Men are generally better than women at fixing everyday household items, says a university study. However, researchers believe that this stereotypical divide is unlikely to endure as Western societies become increasingly technically minded.
Men are generally better than women at fixing everyday household items, says a university study. However, researchers believe that this stereotypical divide is unlikely to endure as Western societies become increasingly technically minded.
Researchers from the University of Memphis, Tennessee found that when faced with broken objects such as dishwashers, temperature gauges and toasters, men asked far more relevant questions and were quicker to identify the problem than women, regardless of their technical ability.
The study, presented at the conference, found that although women asked more questions, these were less relevant to finding a solution. Even women assessed as having the same technical ability as men in the 100-person sample asked 35 per cent fewer relevant questions. Men made 30 per cent more statements about a problem, which were not always accurate but suggested greater confidence or social pressure.
But the authors say differences between male and female capacity to fix mechanical objects are likely to shrink away. "The computer revolution has embedded all sorts of technology as fundamental to everyday life," said Arthur Graesser, professor of psychology and computer science, and co-author of the study.
"Education and the normality of having machines around us will break down the gender differences," he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments