An evaluation of evidence for innate sex differences in linguistic ability.

A female superiority in verbal ability is reported on many tests. It has been hypothesized that the female brain is more functionally symmetrical for language then the male, and that this is the cause of the alleged superiority. Recent research has suggested that factors other than sex are involved: handedness, age of maturity, and endocrine influences. It is not yet clear whether, despite its biological correlates, the female superiority is innate.