As a noun, average is a number that represents the usual or middle value in a group of numbers. As an adjective, it means ordinary or not especially good or bad.
From Old French “avarie,” meaning “damage to a ship or cargo,” later “costs shared among owners.” The sense of “equal share” slowly turned into the mathematical idea of an average.
Average began as a word about sharing loss fairly among ship owners. That idea of “evening things out” is still hiding inside when you add numbers and divide by how many there are.
“Average” has been used in pseudo-scientific comparisons between genders, sometimes to justify exclusion or stereotypes (e.g., about ‘average’ female ability in certain fields). Such uses often ignored overlap, context, and social factors.
When discussing averages across genders, emphasize variability, overlap, and context, and avoid using averages to stereotype individuals or justify unequal treatment.
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