Who Shoots Better? Men or Women?
Social media particularly loved two athletes competing and winning medals at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games: Kim Ye-ji from South Corea and Yusuf Dikec from Türkiye. The former female, the latter male. They have one thing in common: both are shooters. Their pictures shooting at the Olympic games eradiating unbelievable coolness and nonchalance made them go viral. One a woman, the other one a man. The comment section was filled with heated debates whether women or men are better marks(wo)men. Most shooting instructors, both men and women, will happily tell you women are better shooters than men, followed by anecdotes to support their claim. But is this really true? Since I am a researcher, I do not believe in anecdotal evidence. I want the hard scientific facts. So, I did a little research on this topic sharing here with you what I found.
Rizzini Venus - A shotgun that is adapted to the female physique.
I found a publication of a study conducted by Daniel Mon-López, Carlos M. Tejero-González, Alfonso de la Rubia Riaza and Jorge Lorenzo Calvo, titled “Pistol and Rifle Performance: Gender and Relative Age Effect Analysis”. The main objectives of the study were to compare performances between gender and relative age effect (RAE) in precision shooting events. They compared 704 shooters who participated in the World Shooting Championship held in Korea in 2018. Performance was analyzed by event (rifle and pistol), gender and category (junior and senior), together with RAE and six ranges of ranking positions. The results of the study indicated that men scored higher than women in pistol events and that no performance differences were found in rifle events when the whole group was compared. The data report two main findings: (1) men’s pistol performance is better than women’s even though the relative age is not associated to shooting performance in any case, and (2) the data are inconclusive in the rifle event. On the one hand, no differences were found between men and women when all participants were compared. On the other hand, the junior category analyses carried out by ranking positions showed a better performance of women, while in the senior category, women or men performed better depending on the ranking position.
The researchers suppose that the performance differences between men and women in pistol shooting might be due to the strength differences between genders in finger flexor and shoulder abductor muscles essential to stabilize the pistol. There are indeed significant differences between genders regarding grip strength: For a male the average grip strength is around 50 kg while for a female it is around 30 kg.
Another study by Anne G. Copay and Michael T. Charles titled “The influence of grip strength on handgun marksmanship in basic law enforcement training” investigated the influence of grip strength on semi‐automatic handguns in basic law enforcement training. The grip strength and marksmanship scores of police recruits were measured. All the recruits underwent the same basic firearms training and about half the recruits were given a Grip Master to exercise with, in the hope of improving their grip strength. The grip strength improvement was similar for recruits with and without Grip Master. Both groups significantly improved their marksmanship by the end of the training. The women’s scores were significantly lower than the men’s both at the beginning and at the end of the training (102.6 vs. 114.6 for females and males, respectively at the end of the training). This difference in scores appears to be due to a difference in grip strength. The influence of grip strength on marksmanship scores was small but constant throughout the grip strength range of the police recruits.
Other studies investigating performance in female air pistol Olympic shooting support these findings: The study titled “The Relationship Between Pistol Olympic Shooting Performance, Handgrip and Shoulder Abduction Strength” by Daniel Mon-López, Maria S. Zakynthinaki, Carlos Alberto Cordente and Jorge García-González concludes that there is a statistically significant correlation between performance and muscular forces exerted by the athletes relative to their BMI. Similar results were found in a study investigating the influence of Finger Flexor Force on Performance in Senior Male Air Pistol Olympic Shooting.
In 1997 researchers tried to assess gender differences in marksmanship performance and the effects of reducing rifle stock length and weapon weight upon marksmanship performance and arm-hand steadiness. Thirteen female and fifteen male soldiers were recruited and completed the study. However, this study used the Noptel Marksmanship system which utilizes weapons which are dry-fired only. The lack of recoil, noise, smoke, etc., is a substantial factor in marksmanship. Therefore this study must be taken with a grain of salt with regards to live fire.
No gender difference in marksmanship performance was observed with either the M16A2 rifle or the M4 carbine. Reducing stock length from 10.3" to 7.0" significantly improved marksmanship scores and reduced the distance of the center of mass of the shot groups from the center of the target for both genders. Shot group tightness was significantly better with the M4 carbine (6.9 lbs) versus the M16A2 rifle (8.4 lbs). This study suggests that no gender difference exists between male and female soldiers shooting the M16A2 rifle and M4 carbine. The data indicate that reducing stock length and weapon weight improve overall marksmanship and arm-hand steadiness for both men and women.
Since shooting performance has been shown to decline with increasing bouts of exercise intensity and increasing muscle fatigue, the researchers suggested that during extended bouts of shooting, women may fatigue faster than men, thus leading to reduced accuracy (hitting where you're aiming) and precision (consistency of aiming) during shooting. Alternatively, less upper body strength may affect the ability of women to hold a weapon steady. This hypothesis was supported by another study from 1996.
Interesting about the study by Kemnitz et al. was that they did not do tests with the women during premenses, because previous studies had shown that hand-steadiness decreases in women during this phase of the menstrual cyle. It is rare to find studies that pay attention to the menstrual cycle of women and I was surprised to find one that did already in 1996.
The major findings of this study were summarized as follows:
1) No significant gender difference was observed in marksmanship performance with either the M16A2 rifle or M4 carbine, using the Noptel marksmanship simulator.
2) Reduction of stock length improved marksmanship performance and arm-hand steadiness for both male and female soldiers.
3) Reduction of weapon weight improved marksmanship performance and arm-hand steadiness, again for both male and female soldiers.
4) Soldiers preferred a lighter weapon when given a choice; they experienced less discomfort when using the M4 carbine versus the M16A2, and they reported the M4 carbine was easier to use.
Summarizing the findings of all these studies, I came to the following conclusions: Men seem to be the better shooter than women, especially when shooting handguns. Data seems to be inconclusive regarding rifles. Using weapons that are adapted to the physique of the individual marks(wo)man improve the performance of both genders. Are Walther with their PDP F series, SIG SAUER with their P365 XL Rose, Rizzini with their Venus and Beretta with their Vittoria onto something? These are all weapons designed and developed especially for women, respecting the different build of female bodies. They all considered these factors when developing their firearms aimed at women. I personally shoot a Walther PDP F series as well as a Rizzini Venus shotgun and I could test the SIG SAUER P365 XL Rose. My review of the Walther PDP F series as well as the Rizzini Venus will follow soon. My review of the SIG SAUER P365 XL Rose can be read here.
A study by Jenna Prochnau of the University of Nebraska support this idea: More female than male recruits in law enforcement were failing out due to their inability to pass firearms testing requirements. Several studies of police recruits and officers have consistently shown that women score somewhat lower on firearms qualification exams than men. This difference in males’ and females’ marksmanship scores may result from a sex difference in grip strength, as Copay and Charles (2001) found that after controlling for grip strength, sex was no longer a significant predictor of marksmanship scores. Since the disproportionate rate of female recruits’ academy failure due to marksmanship scores is well-established,
Prochnau evaluated whether an improved process for selecting a police department’s duty firearm could result in an increase in female recruits’ and officers’ scores so that they are more similar to that of males. Results from the first firearm selection process showed that male officers scored significantly higher than female officers before the change in firearms and that they continued to score higher after the change as well. However, the second firearm selection process did seem to have mitigated the scoring disparity that existed between male and female officers. While male officers did still score significantly higher than female officers both before and after the switch, the effect of gender on scoring was much greater before the switch than it was after.
In conclusion scientific evidence strongly suggests that men are the better marksmen than women, especially regarding handguns. Data is inconclusive regarding rifles. The reasons seem to be the same as in nearly every sport: strength, endurance and body size. Since most firearms were designed for the male physique (among other things that are designed for men and tested with men e.g. cars, smart phones, medication etc.), could it be that the differences lay more in the gear than in the actual skills? Will those special guns for women bring a change and get more women into shooting sports?
Will firearms that are adapted to weaker hands and shoulders make shooting sports more inclusive, not just for women but for persons with disabilities or the elderly?
However, the instructors claiming that women are the better shooter than men might not be wrong when considering the aspect that women are more coachable than men. There are indeed several studies supporting this hypothesis…