AIBU to think that women aren't better at multitasking than men are? Rather it is just that we get interrupted more?

[Ilotca]

I often find myself doing two or three things at the same time, none of them well. If I have to do this for an extended length of time I feel increasingly unfocused and frazzled. Surely most people are the same. However in day to day life what women do can always be interrupted - by everyone from school ringing up with some bullshit about regulation shoes or forgotten planners to an ex partner wanting to be instructed on how to organise his Xmas leave.

There is an old trope about one's creative life ending with the pram in the hallway. IME the six/nine/twelve month break involved in that isn't the end of anything - it's more that once the pram is there a woman never again has an uninterrupted thought.

Yep, and it's loaded more on women than on men imo.

I think women are practised at multitasking because it's expected of them. It's not expected of men.

The multitasking thing has always been bullshit. No humans multitask well, some believe they do.

I don’t believe in multitasking - I think it’s generally just people trying and failing to do several things at once

Remember, remember... the brain is plastic. What you do more, you get better at because how the brain adapts. Women are in positions where they must multitask therefore most often we get better at it. Men are more likely to be able to get away without multitasking thus are less likely to excel.

The pram in the hall being the enemy of good art was said by Cyril Connolly who was (1) a complete prat and (2) not looking after his children — he meant some little woman would try to tie you down with nappies and financial demands, rather than you getting to pontificate over sherry with your male friends.

I’m female, a writer, a mother, and dreadful at multitasking. When I am working, I can’t do anything else. I will be at my desk and suddenly notice that I’ve been dying to go to the loo for hours. Even when he was quite small, DS knew not to interrupt unless it was a life and death situation.

Multi-tasking is a Myth - we're just switching focus really rapidly between different tasks.

Women tend to have more pathways to support that switching and as PP say that gets reinforced when women are expected to do it more - working outside the home but also carrying the mental and practical load for family etc while men tend to be left to focus more on work.

I can't recall whether they've studied the brains of male and female babies/children to understand whether that brain difference is congenital or learned behaviour.

This. Multitasking is not productive, I gave it up.

@BeardedIrises how funny! I'd never really looked into what I held as my idea of the quote - it seemed to me to be sympathetic of a mother who can't so much as pour a glass of water for herself without the action turning into some massive tea/sandwich/afternoon bowl of cereal expedition for some other (able bodied) person in the house.

I think I like my version better. (Well, I would, wouldn't I?)

Women just do ten times as much as men do. End of. Because we're trained that way, and it's very hard to break.

I'd love to hear tips on how you gave it up!

The fact that I can't do it doesn't seem to deter anyone from expecting me to do it successfully.

Men seem to have more obsessions. Dp even interested in adverts.
I notice in dd afterschool club it started 50/50 boy girl but now only girls remain. Boys think they are above being taught and bored easily.
I definitely hold more in my head than dp he is only thinking about him. He doesnt keep track of days or time as well. Dont girls geberally do better with homework as they get on with it and get it done.
I could concentrate at work all day. But generally i like to switch between tasks to keep interest

Got to be strict!
I started to do things more mindfully. So e.g. the washing up - if the water is taking a bit of time to heat up, I wait. I just wait. I don't go and wipe something or boil the kettle or stack anything.

Life improved when I slowed down.

At work I shut other tabs and work on one thing at once.

This is all learned behaviour, according to how they've been treated so far in life
... As I said upthread, remember brain plasticity! Girls are encouraged to be good more, do what's expected, help in the house, boys are allowed to be more individualistic and have a deep focus.

It’s conditioning.
Women do more work and different tasks, end of.
No wonder then that they become more skilled at switching between said tasks.
Im so practised at it now that I actually perform better under the stress of a million jobs.
I notice it at work, the women do lots of tasks and take more on without question. If men are asked to do something extra there is uproar and many meetings to discuss what additional support (usually a PA- woman!) is needed.

I can’t even knit and fart at the same time.

I have to try not to knit and fart at the same time!

Scientifically, women are 'naturally' better at multi tasking as the corpus callosum area of the brain in thicker in females, which allows quicker task switching. However, studies have shown that male taxi drivers train their brains to show increased multitasking comprehensiveness, so it does appear the skill can be trained in males.