Sex differences in parental estimates of their children's intelligence

A series of previous studies with student participants has shown that females' self-IQ estimates are significantly lower than those of males. In this study, 184 mostly white British adults estimated their own IQ and that of their children. The results were in line with previous studies, in that males rated their IQ higher than females (108 vs. 104). Both sexes rated their male children higher than their female children (109 vs. 102). Males tended more than females to believe there is a greater difference between the intelligence of female and male children, but this was not significant. Results were considered in terms of the current sociobiological and sociocultural explanations for sex differences in ability.