Revisiting intrinsic sex differences in STEM aptitude: Insights from infant development research twenty years after Spelke (2005)

Abstract

The origins of gender inequalities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain debated. A key question is whether these inequalities arise from intrinsic sex differences in cognition and perception present in infancy, social and cultural influences experienced throughout development, or a combination of both. In a formative 2005 review, Spelke argued against intrinsic sex differences in STEM aptitude, citing myriad evidence of sex similarities in infant visual object preferences, numerical cognition, and spatial reasoning. This review reassesses Spelke’s claims in light of contemporary research on infant development within these domains. In contrast to Spelke’s arguments, the extant literature now suggests that sex differences in visual preferences and spatial processing emerge within the first year of life. However, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that such sex differences are intrinsic or contribute to later gender inequalities in STEM, aligning with Spelke’s broader conceptual thesis. The findings of this review underscore the need for integrative approaches to identifying the factors that give rise to early sex differences in object preferences and spatial processing, longitudinal research to assess the developmental stability of these sex differences, and diverse samples to inform developmental pathways that shape gender inequalities in STEM.