Analysis of nearly 8,000 scans in 29 countries suggests harmful social environment modifies brain structure. In countries with greater gender equality, no significant differences were observed between the brains of one and the other.
However, where there was greater inequality, they saw that the thickness of the right side of the cerebral cortex was lower in women. The study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, and "these results are not necessary to argue that gender inequality is wrong," co-author says.