The operating system of women has been under-researched and misunderstood for a very long time, creating gaps in workplace design and our collective understanding of what people need to thrive across medicine, business, economics, and most facets of society. This is particularly evident in healthcare, where research has historically centred around male subjects, leaving us with an incomplete picture of human health and causing many conditions in women to be missed or misdiagnosed—such as autism, which many women and girls are only now discovering they have, having been overlooked due to outdated stereotypes.
In this article, we highlight the characteristics and behaviours of autism in girls and women drawing on recent New Scientist article by Gina Rippon, March 31, 2025, titled “A revolutionary new understanding of autism in girls.
As we start to learn more about the unique operating systems of women, more women can get the support they need and we can start to design our social systems, including work, medicine and health, to meet these needs.
The “Male Model” Myth
For decades, autism has been viewed primarily as a male condition. The statistics often cited – a 4:1 male-to-female ratio – have shaped both public perception and clinical practice. This perception wasn’t born from nowhere; it began with Hans Asperger, one of the “fathers of autism,” who specifically studied a form of “extreme male intelligence” in boys.
The consequences of this male-centred model have been profound. As Gina Rippon reports in her New Scientist article, by studying almost exclusively male subjects, researchers created a self-fulfilling prophecy where autism became defined by how it presents in boys and men.
The result? As many as 80 per cent of autistic girls remain undiagnosed by age 18.
Different, Not Less
Recent neuroscience research has revealed the female autistic brain works differently than the male one, especially when it comes to social motivations and behaviours.
Several groundbreaking studies have found that contrary to the stereotype of autistic individuals as socially aloof:
- Autistic girls often show higher activity in brain areas associated with social reward than autistic boys
- Many autistic girls demonstrate greater connectivity between key social brain networks
- Female brains appear to have different patterns of sensory processing, with additional connections to frontal areas involved with monitoring social feedback
Many autistic women and girls actually demonstrate a powerful drive for social connection, paired with a heightened sensitivity to social rejection. This means they might simultaneously crave social interaction while finding it extremely taxing.
The Camouflage Effect
Perhaps the most significant discovery is understanding why so many autistic women fly under the diagnostic radar: behavioral masking or camouflaging.
Unlike the stereotypical presentation of autism that we see portrayed in media (think Raymond in “Rain Man”), many autistic women become experts at disguising their autism-related difficulties. This often involves:
- Intensively studying social behavior of others
- Creating and rehearsing social scripts
- Consciously monitoring responses like eye contact or laughter
- Practicing conversations and social scenarios exhaustively
As one researcher put it, these aren’t individuals who lack social interest – they’re individuals so motivated by social connection that they’ll work extraordinarily hard to achieve it.
But this camouflaging comes at a tremendous cost: high levels of anxiety, exhaustion, stress, and for many, chronic depression and suicidal ideation. The mental health toll of constantly performing neurotypicality shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Diagnosis Gap
The diagnostic challenges for autistic women and girls are compounded by multiple factors:
- Gender Bias in Early Identification: Parents and teachers are less likely to flag social concerns in girls
- Clinical Bias: Studies show clinicians presented with identical behaviours are more likely to identify autism in boys than girls
- Male-Normed Assessment Tools: The “gold standard” tests were validated on predominantly male samples
- Masking Behaviors: The very coping mechanisms women develop often hide the very traits clinicians look for
As Page Pelphrey, mother of both an autistic daughter and son, experienced: with her son, diagnosis “was a snap.” With her daughter, they were told to “watch and wait” and that “you have a girl, it’s not autism.”
A New Understanding Emerges
The good news is that awareness is growing. Recent large-scale surveys of autism traits in the general population suggest we might be looking at nearly equal numbers of autistic women and men – a radical departure from the historical 4:1 ratio.
This emerging awareness demands action:
- Revision of diagnostic criteria to accurately capture how autism presents across genders
- Development of assessment tools that reflect female autism presentations
- Education for clinicians, teachers, and parents about gender differences in autism
- Greater inclusion of women and girls in autism research
Beyond the Diagnosis
Understanding these differences isn’t just about better diagnosis – it’s about creating a more inclusive understanding of neurodiversity itself.
By recognising that autism can present differently across genders, we’re acknowledging the rich complexity of the human mind. We’re also creating space for autistic women and girls to receive the support they need without having to conform to a male-centric model of what autism “should” look like.
This reflects a broader pattern we’re finally addressing: women’s health needs, cognitive patterns, and neurological functioning have been systematically under-researched and misunderstood. From medication development to workplace design, we’ve often treated the male experience as universal.
But things are changing. Understanding autism in women is part of a larger movement to recognise and accommodate diverse human needs, creating environments where everyone – regardless of neurotype or gender – can thrive.
For autistic women who have spent their lives feeling “different” without understanding why, or exhausted from the constant effort to appear “normal,” this new understanding offers something invaluable: recognition, validation, and hope for a future where their experiences are finally seen and understood.
This is also why mentorship from women with shared experiences is so invaluable; they understand these unique challenges and can provide guidance that acknowledges these realities.
For more information about autism in women and girls visit the National Autistic Society ‘ Autistic Women and Girls’ webpage.
This blog post is based on information from a New Scientist article by Gina Rippon, March 31, 2025, titled “A revolutionary new understanding of autism in girls.”
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