A 1996 USA study suggested girls begin to lose self-confidence in middle school because they believe that men possess more intelligence in technological fields.[8] The fact that men outperform women in spatial analysis, a skillset many engineering professionals deem vital, generates this misconception.[2] Feminist scholars postulate that boys are more likely to gain spatial skills outside the classroom because they are culturally and socially encouraged to build and work with their hands.[9] Research shows that girls can develop these same skills with the same form of training.[10][11]