women have less variation in intelligence than men
That could indeed (if the numbers work out) explain a difference in success at the very highest levels in the absence of prejudice. But this sort of effect is far weaker away from the very tails of the distribution, and the particular study we’re taking as an example in this discussion is not concerned with the very tails of the distribution. Further, my understanding is that GRE scores correlate somewhat better with intelligence than they do with job performance (see, e.g., this post which has a few references to the primary literature), and I would expect them to do a pretty good job of screening off differences in raw intelligence in this case.
Women are worse at taking criticism.
Evidence? (I have to say it looks to me as if people are bad at taking criticism, and I haven’t noticed a big difference between men and women; but I’ve not studied this and will be glad to learn.)
a lot of stuff about the kind of hierarchies men and women tend to form.
I’m afraid that’s not specific enough for me to form any idea of how it would justify a drastically lower assessment of the likely competence of a woman than an identically-credentialed man as a scientific lab manager.
Have you actually been observing the relative abilities
Relative abilities as such are pretty much unobservable. I’ve been observing the relative performance. But only casually and qualitatively; if you have a pile of useful data then by all means point me at it.
is your reaction [...] to hit yourself for having a “sexist” thought?
No, not at all. I notice both men and women doing things badly and acting emotionally all the time, and feel no particular impulse to self-punishment when I do so. -- Is it your usual practice to assume that people who disagree with you are off their heads, or have I said something to give you that impression particularly strongly in my case?
(Note for the avoidance of doubt: I am assuming that you didn’t mean “hit yourself” literally; of course if you did then it’s an even weirder thing to think I might do.)
That could indeed (if the numbers work out) explain a difference in success at the very highest levels in the absence of prejudice. But this sort of effect is far weaker away from the very tails of the distribution, and the particular study we’re taking as an example in this discussion is not concerned with the very tails of the distribution. Further, my understanding is that GRE scores correlate somewhat better with intelligence than they do with job performance (see, e.g., this post which has a few references to the primary literature), and I would expect them to do a pretty good job of screening off differences in raw intelligence in this case.
Evidence? (I have to say it looks to me as if people are bad at taking criticism, and I haven’t noticed a big difference between men and women; but I’ve not studied this and will be glad to learn.)
I’m afraid that’s not specific enough for me to form any idea of how it would justify a drastically lower assessment of the likely competence of a woman than an identically-credentialed man as a scientific lab manager.
Relative abilities as such are pretty much unobservable. I’ve been observing the relative performance. But only casually and qualitatively; if you have a pile of useful data then by all means point me at it.
No, not at all. I notice both men and women doing things badly and acting emotionally all the time, and feel no particular impulse to self-punishment when I do so. -- Is it your usual practice to assume that people who disagree with you are off their heads, or have I said something to give you that impression particularly strongly in my case?
(Note for the avoidance of doubt: I am assuming that you didn’t mean “hit yourself” literally; of course if you did then it’s an even weirder thing to think I might do.)