Wee clues as to why men love physics

Female academic says toilet behaviour could show why males tradtionally do better at science than women

An Abertay University academic has claimed boys may get a leg-up in physics because they urinate while standing.

Anna Wilson, a post-doctoral researcher, said one reason boys may find it easier to grasp concepts surrounding projectile motion is because of the way they pee.

She said games boys play while urinating – such as seeing who can micturate the highest – may give them an advantage.

Ms Wilson, who was an academic physicist for more than 15 years, said this may be one reason for the gender gap in participation in physics.

She said students tend to learn about projectile motion early in physics courses but girls underperform in this topic, even when they are normally highachieving students.

Ms Wilson said this could lead girls to question whether physics is for them, or even for their teacher to make a similar assumption.

Ms Wilson worked with Australian academics Kate Wilson and David Low on the research.

She said they are not suggesting urination is the sole explanation for why the gender gap in physics exists but that awareness of the issue could change how it is taught so fewer girls become discouraged from studying the subject.

Ms Wilson said: “The key point we were trying to get across is the continuing gender disparity in physics and engineering.

“People have tried to address it in a number of ways but it has remained pretty much static so we are trying to get people to think about it again.

“I know it’s kind of a leftfield idea but there have been suggestions put forward before that of the reasons women don’t do as well is because of their lower engagement in ball sports, which involves projectiles.

“It’s well established that you learn a lot through play and boys can play with their aim and targeting in a way that girls can’t.”

Ms Wilson that one way to address the issue would be to introduce concepts on projectile motion late in physics courses so girls have more confidence in their abilities in the subject.

Ms Wilson added: “There has been a bit of a mixed reaction – we’ve had some really good conversation with teachers’ groups but there has been some reaction that is quite dismissive and misogynistic.”