10.09.2025

Reutlinger General-Anzeiger: Birgit Derntl on gender differences

Nature or culture?

_{by Philipp Sigle}

How different are men and women really – and why? The Reutlinger General-Anzeiger newspaper addresses this question in a detailed article and spoke to Prof. Dr. Birgit Derntl, neuroscientist at Tübingen University Hospital and member of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network.

Derntl emphasizes: “There are differences between men and women in the way they think, feel, and act.” At the same time, she warns against clichés: “Not all men do one thing and all women do another.” Today, research no longer assumes an either/or scenario, but rather an interplay of biological and social factors: “Nature or nurture: Today, research no longer assumes an either/or scenario, but rather a both/and scenario.”

The article highlights how hormones such as testosterone and oxytocin work, why differences are often overestimated, and how strongly social experiences can shape the brain.

One area where there are actual differences between boys and girls is financial education. However, these differences are not biological, but are shaped by socialization and stereotypes. In a study, LEAD members Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm (Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences), Lucy Haag, and Dr. Luis Oberrauch showed that boys are significantly more interested in economic and financial topics and perform better in knowledge tests.

To the article at GEA

Gender gap in financial education

Media Contact

Philipp Sigle
presse@lead.uni-tuebingen.de