Theories on why more males than females have AS

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I would say that's more socialized than biological. And even if you're going by generalizations, I would still have to disagree with you. There are many different ways to be social, and many kinds of problems to be good at solving. I don't pay too much attention to statistics, there is still far more diversity with individuals than any commonality with groups.

As for why there's a 4 to 1, well since I can't claim to know for sure the mechanism of action that causes autism (nor can anyone else at this point) anything could be the reason. Mabe it really does affect that percentage of boys more for genetic or hormonal reasons, mabe females are more often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. As for me, I'm female and I don't think being female has made my Asperger's easier in any way. If anything it's made it harder because the expectations put on girls to be friendier, to smile all the time, to chit chat, to be interested in buying uncomfortable clothing...ect. has made me that much more of an outcast since those things are in no way natural for me to do. Also, most people I get along with and share interests with are usually males, and in my twenties I'm beginning to learn that close friendships with guys just can't last. By the time they get a girlfriend or wife, it's all over. I have no desire to be more than friends with anyone, so most of my friendships die eventually. I often wonder if that would be different if I were a guy.

Can you do a rubix cube?? Yeah maybe you are, wouldn't know, I'm just talking in general terms.

I don't want to get into any arguments of which is the better sex. There are pros and cons to both sexes.

I do get annoyed by woman that say that woman are better than men. It does get a bit annoying, if I were to say that men were better than woman, I would be labelled sexest and never hear the end of it. Can be fun for some stirring tho.

Anyway off topic here

No-ish. Not to both sexes. How can in two different things one be ever better or worse than the other?

Both males and females are human - and beyond that everything else is different. It would be like comparing NTs and autistic people and asking who's the better. One can only compare what they think of the results of being something... male or female, NT or autistic or non-autistic but not NT... what pros in cons in what situation, that's comparable, but only subjectively.

But I'd totally love to be a boy sometimes, haha. I love being female at all the other times.

Yeah I think females are more social. Who are putting the expectations on females to be social, they do it to each other. It's not like most males know much about fashion. Also I have found I have to be more careful what I say around female, because they get offended easier, any unintentional little thing can be taken the wrong way. Where as males say what ever they hell they like to each other. That makes me think that females have higher social rules.

I've found the same thing, once male friends have a wife or girlfriend, you spend less time with them. Myself I'm not interested in having male friends, just really interested in females.

You might have a problem with your male friends partners not wanting them to have female friends.

I agree with the previous comment about females internalizing rather than acting out, which means they are more likely to stay under the radar. I can give my anecdotal observation, that while my daughter seems more impaired than my son, she is more willing to sit still and try to follow directions than my son, which makes her look "more functional." But her language abilities, eye contact, and social abilities (beyond sitting still) are much worse than his were at the same age.

I also think female brains are wired to be more emotional and social than are male brains. So if autism causes the same amount of "damage" between males and females, the female brain is better equipped to take the hit.

True. If we're going to go with the assumption that autistic females are better able than males to retain emotionality, the autism traits plus high emotion could look like a personality disorder/ emotional immaturity.

I think males are designed more to be fighters, we are phsically stronger, we are more designed to be protectors I think. I'm totally against violence and think it is bad, but I really love beating the crap out of a punching bag.

If you were a male and someone made an insulting comment about your looks or something and you started getting emotional. You wouldn't be much good in a fight.

Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words really do hurt me.

Hmm didn't know about Rett syndrome, that evens up the score

That's the way. Cat fights can be very scary though. (hold me I'm scared!! !)

I don't know, there's alot of unknown history involved in gender expectations. Even if it seems like it's caused by one thing, that cause could be the culmination of millions of other variables that have been passed down. It may seem like women today are the ones wanting to dress and act like Paris Hilton, and men have nothing to do with that. But could it be that image is the excess product of our male-centric history?

I go to work at a primarily male job, and most customers and even coworkers don't expect me to learn or do the same things the guys do, even though I'm almost as strong and at least as intelligent as most of them. Customers ask the men all the important questions and condecendingly ask me if I'm there for moral support. Some people may stubbornly try harder when they realize most people have little confidence in them. But for most people it's very discouraging, and they look for encouragement elsewhere, usually wherever the unspoken expectations are. Girls that grow up only being told that they're pretty don't feel valued for anything else. Society values women more for being pretty and friendly than for being smart. That may be starting to change in some countries, but social changes take centuries before you stop feeling the effects of the past. BTW, it's just as often men who judge women for the way they look. I've been around guy's and they can be just as shallow or more so. It's always men who ask me why I'm not smiling, and I never hear them ask this to any males around me who also aren't smiling.

I also think mabe the social rules of women are just a way for women to have they're own politics. Which brings me to another point. I'd say based on our patriarchal society, the most steriotypically masculine trait should be leadership ability, something most Aspies completely lack in either a social or practical way. I've seen more Aspies on this forum (including myself) describe they're personalities as childlike and genderless, not extremely masculine. There seem to be alot of good puzzle solvers (masculine?) and alot of good artists (feminine?) of both genders on the spectrum with curiosity being much more of a major constant than agressive ambition. Just something to think about.

Oh yeah, and as far as having male friends, I think it's all of us who recognize when it's inappropriate (yes even me). The partners don't to compete with non-family females for attention, the guy makes the obvious choice, and I don't blame either for feeling that way and back off while cursing the exsistence of gender. Mabe one day I'll understand better, but for now I'm still in Neverland.

Sora,

A female COULD have a fragile X chromosome, but they have a COPY! BOTH would have to be bad, and likely in the same place, for anything to really show up. As for Rett, it is the same thing in reverse. The X chromosome is important. Males depend almost 100% on one copy, and females depend less than 50%. So the same problem may be almost unnoticable in a female, but make a male unviable.

Pithlet,

It is a well known FACT that straight men don't care about much of the makeup, how high heels are, or even the "designers". MOST of the "designers" dresses are HORRIBLE! Those that are nice are nice only because they show off the woman. HECK, I have been VERY attracted to women in VERY casual dress that didn't even show any flesh(outside of the hands, head, and maybe a little neck or leg.).

So why do HOMOSEXUAL men get paid top dollar to do what only THEY seem to care about, and how have they somehow tricked guilable women into promoting them? Frankly, I have NO idea. BTW Scientists have PROVEN a nice figure attracts men almost INSTINCTUALLY! Yet, EVEN THAT, isn't 100% required!

might be getting a little off track, but oh well! I'm still arguing that woman are more social.

Well I come from New Zealand, I think we were the first country to give woman the vote. The last two prime ministers have been woman. So NZ maybe be leading the way in gender equality. Yeah woman are still living in a male dominated society and come from a male dominated history, so you could argue that. People listen to males more than they do females.

But I think it is really a mind set. I'm not your typical male (ending up here etc..), but to me I couldn't really care what anybody thinks of me, don't care about history, don't care what other people are doing (woman are bad with gossip), I don't care if people listen to me or not, don't mind if people ignore me, I'm just pig headed and do what I want to do. If I was doing your job and everybody was ignoring me, it wouldn't hurt my feelings. Maybe an AS trait.. Where as woman don't seem to have that, they follow more social rules.

Fashion for example, media has been very successful in getting woman to waste money on clothes etc. Men for example just can't be swayed, there is the rise of the metrosexual but I don't think that will come to much. Hmm Gay men seem to like fashion, I think gay men have more female brains.

That could be interesting doing a sample to see if there are less gay AS men and maybe more lesbian AS woman, that may show that female brains can deal with AS more than male brains. The biggest and cruelest issue AS people have is the social problems, because humans are social creatures.

Hey are woman with AS less into image? And are more of them bi or lesbian?

I think woman are good leaders, maybe better in a world that is fair and just. But when the pressure comes on men can dig into their aggressive side, we are mentally tougher in that regard, better fighters. That is why men will always be leaders, maybe not in a more fair environment . I used to have problems with anxiety, I got over it by just fighting it, and it worked!!

Hmm interesting what you say about people with AS, I'm both a problem solver and an artist. I have not yet diagosed myself, well I have as don't know. Trying to learn more about it first.

Pure autism is about the same in male and female though??

I was misdiagnosed as clinically depressed in elementary school. Also, visible meltdowns were seen as "acting out" and often got me kicked out of school.

So, I think that doctors and schools often miscounted autistic tendencies as other things especially in girls just like they did to ADHD. You had to be pretty extreme to get the similar diagnosis.

Welcome to the life of being a girl. We have to do everything better so that we get the same recognition.

If I can clarify for the sake of clearing some of the tension here... (assuming there is tension?)

There HAS been reliable studies that indicate that, statistically speaking, males are more likely to be neurologically wired for compartmentalized thought processes (those that only use one particular region or area). These usually include "data driven" activities (math, science, etc.). Females, however, are statistically more likely to be stronger in integrated thought processes, or thought processes that involve multiple regions of the brain (reading emotions, etc.). Of course, one can never fully rule out the effects of social expectations on gender.

This doesn't mean that ALL men are better at science, or ALL women are better at being nurturing... it just means one sex is more likely to have one particular hard-wiring over the other. Naturally, this doesn't mean there aren't plenty of mathematically inclined women or highly socially intuitive men, there are. Where you run into trouble is when you begin making blanket statements about what one sex is or is not (or SHOULD or should not) be capable of doing.

Wow... that was verbose... sorry...