Gender and Learning

Throughout some of our classes I have found myself thinking about the connection betweens one's gender and how well they learn. I think about the different words we'll use to describe a man or a woman for the same action with different connotations. For instance, you'll see someone say, "she's bossy," if she takes control of a situation, whereas a boy would be acting as a leader. There's also the action of a woman being organized is expected and a boy is expected to be dirtier and less organized. Do these cultural norms that have been ingrained in our lives since the awakening of our minds hinder one's ability to learn, or does it only hinder one gender from learning a subject better than the other? Does it have an affect on education?