People will read into it what they want. I think it's hard for those who want and strive for quality to admit any difference as they view it will be used against and it has been in the past. In this case, I believe Damore was pointing out differences to be more inclusive and change how we think about things (rightly or wrongly, that can be debated) but particularly his use of the word average is what people seem to gloss right over. I didn't get the impression once that he was claiming any of the female engineers he worked with were lessor or undeserving of being there, but rather that the differences between men and women would lead to less women being there (as is observed). This is accepted for physical traits.... men on average are stronger and therefore more are likely to pass physical barriers of entry into things like the Navy Seals, then women are. That is not to say women are incapable but rather that from the full population of women, less will be able to pass the tests. I have read about the possible differences in STEM being more social than biological and I agree, socially we have constructed gender roles that are tough to break. I do also believe that on average, men and women are different (pure observation of the thousands of people I've met in my life), and that is not a bad thing. I've definitely seen men with more effeminate qualities and women with more masculine, but on average, there is science and reasoning behind traits being masculine and feminine just as stereotypes are usually born of some truth but should never be held again an individual.