ABSTRACT
Studies conducted in the early seventies (Bern and Bern, 1970; Deaux and Taynor, 1973) support the view that women may be perceived, by some, as incompetent in the workplace. Much of the belief in female inadequacy is based on anecdotal evidence which is notoriously selective. However women differ from men in at least one respect that gives an apparently respectable basis to such beliefs. Although there are other obvious differences (for example, the ability to give birth) men and women differ because
women menstruate while men have no equivalent cycle. Now women can opt out of reproducing by employing contraception, if they wish to do so, but opting out of the menstrual cycle is more difficult. If females performance in the workplace varies as a function of their menstrual cycle phase then it follows that unless their performance is superior to men at some stage they will perform less optimally at some point. Such evidence may appear to be respectable because it is ‘scientific’ but such views are naive. This paper reviews some of the relevant research and presents an empirical investigation of cognitive competency, as measured by real time processing capacity, across the menstrual cycle.
