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As a woman who regards herself as feminine I was surprised to discover, via the results of an on-line gender based brain test, that although I have high scores in certain areas of female nature, my brain is in-fact male. Apparently the way I am perceived due to how I look with my long brown hair and curvy figure may be hiding my innate ability to perform male orientated, or thought to be at least, tasks.

Although, like many women, I am not a very good map reader, other areas of my spatial ability are above what is regarded as being those of a woman. So on what premise was this experiment based? Was is made up of preconceptions as to how women and men should behave in different ways? Apparently not.

Scientists have discovered that there really are predominant male traits and predominant female traits, or abilities. Most men fit into the male category and most women into the female category. So where does this leave me I wonder. Should I cut my long tresses, throw out my floral skirts and begin reading Motor Bikers Weekly?

All of this new information may be confusing because, in general, we are brought up to believe that woman should behave and feel a certain way and that the same goes for men. Baby girls are dressed in pink whilst boys are dressed in blue. Later on little girls are treated to toy dolls to nurse like real babies whilst boys are encouraged to play war games and compete with each other. If such gender based ideas had not been prevalent during my own childhood perhaps my future would have been different. With these spatial abilities that I have never recognized or appreciated I could have been an architect, ship builder or racing track designer instead of veering towards the caring profession which is predominantly female based.

The interesting part of the gender based brain test results for me is that not only do I look feminine, dress in a feminine way and behave in rather a feminine fashion despite my 'male' brain but I feel feminine. In-fact I think that I probably am. Which leads me to conclude that perhaps the way in-which we are treated as children and the gender behavioral traits which we are pushed towards influences us far more than we like to think.

The fact that we, as either gender, can have certain abilities that don't always fit in with our supposed genders but may not have been given the opportunity to realize such potential is rather shocking. Could it be that as genders we have been mass produced by cultural demands and that without preconceptions and prejudice we may have developed different talents?. I will leave you to ponder.....

Learn more about this author, Bridget Webber.
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