I remember hearing in a developmental psych class that only 5-10% of the 'standard' gender differences have any biological basis; and the NY Times article on this topic quotes a woman who was angry because, if I remember right, the entire morning of the symposium had been spent dispelling those same myths.
Then I say you were severely misled by the lecturer who said it, since the differences between male and female brains are very large and are not compatible with the idea of environmental or societal pressures.
If the entire morning of the symposium had been spent dispelling myths, then it should have gone for the "Blank Slate" myth first of all. As for the commments of Nancy Hopkins, they were simply sexist, offensive and unscientific.
