Women are now seen as equally intelligent as men, study finds

In the last 70 years, some gender stereotypes about women have shifted dramatically, while others remain firmly rooted, according to new research published in the American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association.

The meta-analysis of 16 public opinion polls totaling more than 30,000 U.S. adults from 1946 to 2018 looked at three traits: competence (intelligence, creativity), communion (compassion, sensitivity) and agency (ambition, aggression).

It found the most significant change in attitudes around women’s competence. In a 1946 poll, only 35% of those surveyed thought men and women were equally intelligent. In one 2018 poll, 86% believed they were equally intelligent and of those who believed intelligence was not equal, 9% believed women were more intelligent and only 5% believed men were more intelligent.