«The genetics are almost the same for girls and boys!»

Mrs Binswanger, we spoke to girls and boys aged 7 to 17 for this dossier. They all have a very clear idea of what the respective genders are like. Why is that?

It is very important for children to develop a gender identity because our society has remained very traditional in this respect and demands it. In order to know who they are, they ask themselves at an early age: «What kind of boy or girl am I?» This question is no longer a priority in Scandinavian countries, for example, where egalitarian structures have been established for longer than here. Here, even very young children learn what it means to be a boy or a girl. For example, I know boys who play with Barbies but would never admit this in a conversation.

Nine-year-old Riana has no problem admitting that she likes playing football with the boys.

Activities that are considered typically masculine are more important to us. A boy who shows his feminine side is devalued. A girl who shows her masculine side is cool.

Many parents say that they endeavoured not to raise their children according to stereotypes. Nevertheless, the boys stopped in front of every digger as toddlers and the girls loved the colour pink. Why?

A lot of parenting happens unconsciously. There are studies that show that parents throw balls to 14-month-old boys from a greater distance than girls of the same age. Many people treat boys and girls differently from day one without realising it.

And in the Scandinavian countries, parents throw balls to their children from the same distance?

I don't know of any studies on this. But if there is more equality in everyday life, this will also be the case when dealing with children.

And girls are better at maths?

They actually are in the Scandinavian countries. Girls' maths performance only drops here when they start to deal intensively with their gender identity. This is then more important than their actual abilities. First and foremost, they want to appear «typically female» - while maths is considered «typically male».

And eight-year-old Matti says he is «better with numbers than letters» because reading is supposedly unmanly?

Of course, it is possible that Matti is fundamentally more gifted in maths than in languages. But it's also very possible that he tries harder at maths because he subconsciously perceives it as more masculine.

So it's not true that girls are more gifted in languages and boys in maths?

No. And it is certainly not biologically based. The part that can be explained genetically when it comes to differences between the sexes is very small anyway.

Why do you think that is?

I am intensively involved in biology and brain research. In both fields, studies show that there is huge variability. In purely genetic and hormonal terms, there are an infinite number of different mixtures. The reduction to exclusively male or female is a blatant simplification.

Does this also apply to the brain?

Yes, and how! A smaller brain that is better connected between the two hemispheres is considered typically female, a larger brain typically male. However, this «realisation» only comes from average values. It's like height: on average, men are taller than women. At the same time, however, there are tall women and short men. The same applies to the brain: you cannot draw conclusions about the brain based on gender characteristics. If you stick to these categories, there are many men with «female» brains and vice versa.

What differences are actually biological?

The ability to reproduce: male semen is needed for the act of procreation and the woman becomes pregnant, which is not possible for men - at least for the time being. The question is what value we attach to this fact.

It is also a fact that girls have two X chromosomes and boys have one X and one Y chromosome.

This is not even the case for all humans. The embryo phenotype is initially female. If a child with XY chromosomes cannot absorb the testosterone for the development of male sexual characteristics, female sexual characteristics develop and it is categorised as a girl at birth. Medicine refers to this as an XY female. A child's chromosome set is therefore not always recognisable. Such examples show that not even the seemingly obvious is set in stone.

What about the hormones?

Both the «male» testosterone and the «female» oestrogen exist in both bodies. Here, too, average values are generally assumed, but there are
but there are many intermediate levels in adolescents and adults. To say that boys are «testosterone-driven» is, in my opinion, at least as much cultural as hormonal.

However, studies show that some male animals play more wildly than females. Can we not speak of something innate here?

I find it very problematic to draw conclusions from animals to humans.

Couldn't it be that boys are naturally wilder than girls?

I don't believe that girls are more peaceful than boys, they have learnt different strategies to deal with aggression. A girl who lashes out is not accepted by society, but a boy is to a certain extent.

What can parents do to break these stereotypes in their own children?

A first step would be to become aware of your own prejudices and behaviours. And to question whether they apply to your own child or whether they tend to restrict them. You can always encourage children to recognise their own abilities beyond gender stereotypes.

Should you give the two-year-old who wants a Spiderman costume a princess skirt?

Of course not. But you should let him wear the princess skirt without any fuss if he likes it.

In an ideal world, boys and girls are ...

... as equal as possible. I would like to see an awareness develop that many people suffer from the fact that the whole of humanity is divided into two boxes. My vision would be for children to be supported on the basis of their individuality, regardless of gender.

More on the topic of gender:

• "Young children are often re-educated": Basel gender professor Andrea Maihofer on gender and moral judgements.
• Typical boy, typical girl? What is there to the gender myths? 7 clichés put to the test
• I tell Matti, 8 years old: «If you really hurt yourself, you can cry even as a boy»