From MSNBC:
The latest study from Canada reports that 17- to 18-year-old males have a slight edge in IQ, based on an analysis of more than 100,000 SAT scores. But even the researcher behind the study acknowledges that the findings don’t represent the final word on gender and intelligence. Past studies have tended to declare the gender intelligence contest a virtual tie, with men rating higher in spatial ability (for example, reading a map) and women having an edge in verbal ability (using a varied vocabulary).
In their analysis, Rushton and Jackson interpreted the SAT results from both the math test (where males do better) and the verbal test (where females do better), focusing on 145 questions that seemed to emphasize general intelligence – also known as the “g factor.” “The g factor really is the active ingredient, if you will, that permeates all types of intelligence,” Rushton told me. Rushton cites an easy example of the difference between a low-g and a high-g task. First, think of the last four digits of your phone number. That’s low-g. Now, think of them in reverse order. That’s high-g. “It is a real cognitive load for everybody,” Rushton said.
More here.