Hear Them Roar

For decades, women have been fighting for equality with men. But could it be that women are actually hardier and smarter in some areas?

The male fetus is at greater risk of harm during pregnancy and birth (brain damage and cerebral palsy are more common, for example), and once born, boys are three to four times more likely than girls to have developmental disorders such as autism and Tourrette's syndrome, says Sebastian Kraemer, Ph.D., of the Tavistock Clinic in London, who published his latest research in the British Medical Journal. Plus, girls have proven to be better than boys academically--in a national exam taken by 16-year-olds, 50% of girls scored a C or better compared with only approximately 40% of boys. Finally, later in life, men are more likely than women to suffer from illness, and are less likely to notice the signs and seek help.

Though society typically expects boys to be tough, unemotional and "masculine," they probably require more attention and sensitivity from the very beginning. Kraemer suggests that parents be "more aware of the fragility of the male infant and take it from there."