Women have overtaken men's IQ scores for the first time since testing began a century ago, according to a New Zealand expert on the subject who happens to be a man.
Emeritus Professor James Flynn, of Otago University, whose research on intelligence has gained international recognition, says women had lagged by as many as five points behind men in IQ testing.
But the gap has been narrowing in recent years and now women's scores are higher in some countries, including New Zealand, he is quoted as saying on various British media websites.
"In the last 100 years the IQ scores of both men and women have risen but women's have risen faster," he said.
"This is a consequence of modernity. The complexity of the modern world is making our brains adapt and raising our IQ."
One explanation is that women's lives have become more demanding as they multitask between raising a family and working outside the home.
Prof Flynn says the full effect of modernity on women is only just emerging and more research is needed to explain the trend.
He based his comments on IQ test results from countries in western Europe and from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina and Estonia.
These showed the gap between men and women had become minimal and women scored marginally more than men in New Zealand, Estonia and Argentina.
In Australia male and female IQs were found to be almost identical.
Prof Flynn, who could not be contacted for further comment yesterday, is noted for his discovery of the "Flynn effect" - the year-on-year increase of IQ scores around the world.
The US-born academic, who stood unsuccessfully for parliament twice for the left-wing Alliance Party, also made headlines in New Zealand by saying the country risked having a less intelligent population after the 2006 census showed tertiary-educated women producing fewer babies than other women.
NZN