Cambridge autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen has courted controversy by claiming that female brains are more poorly adapted to scientific study than male brains.

Speaking on Monday at the Women and Science conference in Washington DC, Professor Baron-Cohen argued that there is an intrinsic difference between the male and female brain.

While the female brain is adapted for empathy, he said, the male brain is better suited to understanding and building systems. This would mean men generally perform better at science, map reading and building flat pack furniture. They are also more likely to be involved in physical fights due to their poorer ability to communicate their feelings, and have a greater chance of developing passions for train spotting and stamp collecting, pursuits that are both indicative of a systematic mind.

Baron-Cohen went on to argue that the greater suitability of male brains to science may be one of the root causes for the under representation of women in science, especially at the highest levels.

The Professor's claims have angered many of Cambridge's prominent female scientists. Debbie Waller, a postdoctoral researcher in physics, argues that scientific talent is unrelated to gender. "The lack of female representation at the higher levels is more an issue of child care provision and glass ceilings that are common to all high time and stress businesses, not just science," she said.

"And there's also social pressure. Peers and even teachers tend to respond negatively to girls considering studying physical sciences at A-level. I know a number of female colleagues who were told by their school physics teachers that they shouldn't study the subject."

Professor Athene Donald, director of the university's Women in Science, Engineering and Technology initiative, told Varsity that "many other factors come into play including social conditioning from school onwards and unconscious bias".

Baron-Cohen's cousin Sacha shocked audiences in his 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. As Ali G, he once asked a British feminist: "Do you think all girls should try feminism at least once?"

Emma Inkestar