Gender differences in creative achievement: a survey of explanations

Thus far, in most fields of endeavor, the majority of seminal achievements have come from men. In this article, we have considered some possible explanations for this phenomenon, and for each of these explanations, some theories of creativity that would stress it. We have emphasized that creative achievement depends on both biological and environmental factors and that inborn talents establish a potential whose fulfillment depends on appropriate experiences. Because men and women differ in both factors, either or both could have produced the achievement difference. Moreover, achievement can occur in fields requiring different abilities. Talent may not be wide ranging but directed toward specific endeavors, with men and women differing not in amount of talent but in the fields preferred. Changes in women's roles and cross-cultural studies may shed further light on the gender difference, but environmental explanations alone are premature.