Though there are some contradictory ideas about whether women are better at multitasking than men, it’s still a widely accepted social belief. Women have strengths that differ from men’s when multitasking, often making them more effective. Here are 17 reasons why women are more natural multitaskers.
They’re Better Planners
Multitasking requires lots of planning to ensure each task receives enough attention and gets completed on time, so women benefit from their more efficient planning skills. Women typically take on a larger mental load, so they’re used to balancing tasks, planning, and ensuring everything is done.
Women Have Larger Prefrontal Cortexes
The prefrontal cortex regulates your thoughts and actions, so it plays a huge role in task management. According to research by the National Institutes of Health, women have a greater volume in the prefrontal cortex, so their brains adapt to multitasking more easily by putting their thoughts in order and helping them prioritize.
Better Organizational Skills
Men are more likely than women to leave things to the last minute, so they tend to be less organized. Women like to plan things out ahead of time. Their organizational skills make it easier for them to multitask because they know what they’ve got to do and better equip themselves.
They’re Used to Juggling Priorities
Society has massively improved with this, but women are still more likely to be pressured to be primary caregivers while also maintaining their careers. As a result, juggling priorities is second nature to them, which is essential for efficient multitasking. They can prioritize tasks that take longer and keep things under control.
Better Communication
Communication is vital when multitasking at work or in your personal life. You must communicate your progress to those around you and sometimes ask for help if things become overwhelming. Women are naturally more open with their emotions and usually speak more eloquently, so they’re not afraid to communicate.
More Self-Awareness
Both men and women work hard, but men are more likely to overestimate themselves and become exhausted, whereas women know their limits. Their heightened self-awareness stops them from pushing themselves too hard, so they can better divide their attention between different tasks and work competently to achieve results.
They’re More Focused
Women typically have longer attention spans than men, so they find it easier to maintain focus on their tasks. Multitasking requires patience; otherwise, you’re more likely to give up when things are still to be done. Women can dedicate their time and energy to multiple tasks at the same time.
Their Brains Have More White Matter
White matter is integral in helping the brain process lots of different information, making it easier to switch between multiple tasks. Psychology Today explains that women’s brains have more white matter, while men’s brains have more gray matter, so men often hyper-focus on a single task while women can multitask.
Better Listening Skills
Multitasking relies on efficient action, and listening plays a role in that. Women have been conditioned to be better listeners than men for centuries, which benefits their multitasking. They can actively listen while doing something else and retain the information, keeping their brains busy and their productivity up.
They Have Better Restraint
Men are more likely to take risks than women, which can make them more likely to embrace different experiences. Meanwhile, women are far more restrained and less impulsive, so they prefer knowing things have been done correctly and keeping their tasks on track.
They’re Often Given More Work
On average, men receive more promotions than women, but studies have found that women are often assigned more tasks. Research published in the World Economic Forum found that 54.9% of tasks are assigned to women, so they’re used to multitasking, though their assigned tasks are unfortunately more likely to be non-promotable.
Coping Better With Stress
Stress is debilitating for both men and women, but men tend to exhibit fight-or-flight responses more than women. Multitasking can be stressful, but women find it easier to cope under pressure. They can take control of their stress and focus their attention on the tasks at hand instead.
More Flexibility
Due to juggling jobs and families, women are more likely to have flexible working arrangements than men, making multitasking easier. They can work flexibly, giving more attention to high-priority tasks and completing smaller tasks. They also have busy personal and professional lives, so multitasking is often unavoidable.
They’re Detail-Oriented
Multitasking requires attention to every little detail, so it comes more naturally to women. HuffPost reports that women’s brains absorb and store more information than men’s, so they usually pay more attention to details. This makes it easier for them to think through multiple tasks while they work.
They’re Usually More Open-Minded
Women are more in touch with their emotions than men, so they’re usually more open-minded to multitasking. Men are generally more decisive on the spot, whereas women are more open to different options and spend more time completing tasks. Their emotional inclinations often encourage them to take on more labor.
Having to Prove Themselves
Unfortunately, women are still underestimated at work and by society, so they feel a need to work harder and prove themselves. They don’t want to get left behind while all their male counterparts succeed, so they’re liable to take on more work and multitask to prove their efficiency and value.
It’s Expected
Finally, there’s a reason why most people automatically assume women are better at multitasking than men: they’ve been expected to do it all their lives. Nowadays, women wanting careers and children must split their time between different tasks and ensure nothing is neglected. They’re expected to multitask, and they consistently meet expectations.