Most Americans Significantly Underestimate the Performance Gap between Elite Male and Female Athletes

Widely established evidence shows that anatomical and physiological sex differences favor males over females in nearly every athletic event, yet a small number of researchers have put forth widely publicized claims of an inherent female advantage in many athletic events. The present study assessed the beliefs of a representative sample of 300 U.S. adults for each of four athletic events (1500-m run, 100-m dash, long jump, and 800-m swim). Participants were asked, “In [this event], the world record for professional women is closest to the world record for males of what age?” The correct answer for each event is age 14, yet, for each event, at least 64% of participants indicated that the women’s record was closest to the record for males of age 18 or older (median = age 20). This stark and pervasive misconception indicates that many people in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere sharply underestimate the contribution of biology to the male-female performance gap in athletics. By extension, this finding suggests that many people underrate the impact of allowing biological males to compete in female-only sports.