Empathy in males vs. females

I believe that it is possible that women are more likely than men to experience and demonstrate empathy. The argument in Chapter 17 of Moghaddam's book that this female capacity for empathy may protect against autism is a valid theoretical explanation to the higher prevalence of autism in males since no links have been found between the disease and the X/Y chromosomes. Research in the field of neuroscience has associated empathy with a specific part of the brain called the right supramarginal gyrus. So a possible study that could test out this theory is to have male and female participants listen to stories meant to induce empathy while measuring activity in this particular part of the brain using fMRI or EEG. In order to control for biases, a confederate could pose as another participant in the study and share a tragic story that happened to them recently while brain activity is being measured without the participant knowing that this is part of the experiment.

If a difference were demonstrated to exist, cultural mechanisms could account for this difference. For instance, particular cultures, the idea that males must be "tough" and "strong" might be reinforced in a child. The child could grow up thinking that empathy and feeling strong emotions may make them weak. Similarly in some cultures, females may be taught to be warm and nurturing so they learn to feel more empathy towards others. The common stereotype that women are more emotional than men may also influence demonstration of empathy.