A Dramatic Underestimation of the Performance Gap Between Elite Male and Female Athletes

Abstract

Strong evidence shows that anatomical and physiological sex differences favor men over women in nearly every athletic event, yet several researchers have published widely disseminated claims of an inherent advantage for women in some athletic events. The present study assessed the prevalence of this misconception with a survey of a diverse sample of 300 U.S. adults. For each of four events (1500-m run, 100-m dash, long jump, and 800-m swim), participants were asked, “The world record for professional women is closest to the world record for males of what age?” The correct answer for each event is age 14, yet, for each event, at least 64% of participants responded that the women’s world record is closest to the record for males of age 18 or older (mean and median estimate ≈ age 20). This stark misconception suggests that many people in the U.S. and possibly elsewhere underestimate the contribution of biology to the male-female performance gap in athletics and, by extension, underrate the impact of allowing biological males to compete in female-only sports.