Why are so few women in science?

Question

I'm curious about this and would like to start a serious, non-emotional discussion about why you think so few women are in science. Here's one of my theories:

As a science and math guy in high school, I was squarely in the 'nerd' category, which brings on some level of social alienation. I basically accepted my lot and made friends with mostly other nerds, but even some 'cool' kids as well, who accepted I was a 'nerd'.

I think that girls are more vested in the social aspects of high school, and fear alienation more than boys do. This may cause some girls to avoid math and science and the mild social consequences that comes with it. Just a theory I'm putting out there.

Any thoughtful opinions are welcome, even controversial ones.

Please, no highly emotional, knee jerk responses.

This is an interesting discussion. I noticed two pre-conceived notions:

1. Science/Math is solitary - it can be, but i don't think any more than other professions. Scientists also work in teams a lot. Also many go on to be college professors, with lots of social interaction.

2. Science is dominated by men and thus competetive and women are turned off by that. Not true at all, having been in the field. Yes, dominated by men, with an occasional (but rare) competetive jerk, but there's a high level of comraderie, people helping each other a lot, that you don't see in things like sales, or the business world (where the object is to destroy the competition).

Answer 1

I think it's just the way womens' brains work, and other factors.

On the other hand, I'm the complete opposite of that. I LOVE computers and I find science fascinating. I actually plan to study something involving science in the future, possibly. Then again, I was a football-playing, video game-addicted tomboy my entire life and I still sort of am.

Answer 2

I will try my best not to go hysterical on you ;-)

I think that is definitely part of the problem; girls do feel a lot more pressure to fit in and that can be blamed on other girls. Additionally, girls feel pressure to not be smarter than the boys, after all, you don't want to bruise any of those fragile male egos and risk ending up dateless at the prom.

For me, math and science were my favorite subjects but I didn't truly excel in either, partly because I was lazy and not very ambitious or competitive in high school. I did end up in computers, however, after taking a Fortran class in college and loving it. But I regret not pursuing the sciences, specifically the life sciences.

If I had to do it all over again, I would be a nerd and I wouldn't care what anyone thought. I'd also pursue the nerdy boys since they are the ones who end up being the most successful!

We really should live our lives backwards.

Answer 3

i also agree with the-advisor and the left brain/right brain reason. but at the same time I am female and i am much better at math and science then english and the socialness . . . I make fun of the girls who take cake majors to just go to college to socialize and get married -sorry -

I think that women are told that they are better at social things from a young age and so thats what they try to work at since they think they wont succeed if they go to the math and sciences.
Also i think that women are more accepting in nature and dont feel the need to compete so much and since sciences are filled with men - who like competition in the workplace - women just dont want sucked into that.

Also if a women is smart and shows it and does well in work and school and beats the men - then all the guys are scared of her and its not a good thing. I would know. men cant handle it if women are smart and so even if women are smart they have to act dumb if they want to date most men.
(apologies to the few men out there who can get over their pride issues)
but as previously stated by many women like to be social and if being precieved as smart (science/math/etc) limit that socialness they will avoid it.

Answer 4

I applaud The Adviser(tm)'s scientific explanation, but I think it could be explained in simpler terms...

A scientist must love discovery...and be comfortable spending long hours with samples, equations and research papers. Women are SOCIAL by nature, men (especially in these "P.C." times,) are even more alienated and estranged from society than they are biologically, and find the company of computers and "goal" oriented behaviors sometimes more rewarding than human interactions...Most women would prefer a good conversation than a date with an algorithm...

So the reason there are fewer women in science is, there aren't many who WANT to be in science.

Answer 5

Less women are in science and math for a scientific reason,women are primarily right brain dominant,which makes them more creative,artistic,caring and emotional.While the majority of men are left brain dominant which makes them more logical,analytical and able to perform high mathematical,scientific and technical pursuits.This does not mean that women are less intelligent or incapable of science.It simply means there is a brain hemisphere difference in the sexes,it is not to point out everyone as there are some women who tend more towards left brain,but the majority of females are right brain dominant.
On top of that many females are influenced by society and upbringing which prepares them for motherhood,or for a more socially acceptable female profession,in the arts or social sciences.Women are not as encouraged as males to pursue technical and science related careers.There is a society stigma as well that women who pursue science are masculine.


Left-Brain behaviors

* Sequentially processing information
* Systematic problem solver
* Thinks in rational and analytical terms
* Identifies with details and facts
* Objective in thought
* Problem solves through logic
* Looks at the parts rather than the whole

Right-Brain behaviors

* Can problem solve through intuition
* Remembers images and pictures
* Learns through exploration
* Summarizes rather than outlines
* Subjective and intuitive in thinking
* Random in thought
* Looks at the whole rather than individual parts

Answer 6

I asked a similiar question like this in Women's studies, where I presented a study that evaluated what about math and science girls didn't like--girls thought jobs associated with math and science would be solitary occupations, and they preferred to be in social occupations:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApxIGtzkLIyP5RJuRlgPegHty6IX?qid=20070609103330AA7EzYX

In addition, the study found that the parental attitudes towards girls and math and science affected the girls a great deal as well:

"Even though girls got better math grades than boys, parents of daughters reported that math was more difficult for their child than parents of sons. Parents of daughters also said their girls had to work harder to do well in math than parents of sons, even though teachers told us this was not true."

"Girls said that they worked harder in math than in English, and parents reported that is true, too. But student time diaries told a different story, with boys and girls both reporting that they spent more time on language arts than on math."

So parental sexist attitudes undermine girls confidence in their math and science abilities, as well as the perception that scientists work alone, versus working in teams.

So much for right brain, left brain.

Answer 7

The answer begins in history. Throughout the middle ages and Renaissance, women were deemed inferior and incapable of scientific achievement. This social pressure continues to be felt today. Boys are given more opportunities to develop scientific abilities and adults who (even unconsciously) hold the stereotype that males are better than females at science continue to reinforce them in developing girls. Girls who don't think they can do math and science turn into women who don't do math and science.

Answer 8

The world, dominated by men, is unsafe to women. While men do not have any threat from women in their walk of life, for the women things work quite opposite. Hence, girls ambulate within small circle. The more they are away from the centre, the more they lose safety. Whatever assurance they get from rulers and rules, still the girls have an instinct of unsafety. Science pushes up the students in the ladder to reach unlimited heights. The unsafety instinct in girls coupled with complacency and parental discouragement stops them to travel in science beyond a certain limit.

Answer 9

But the few we have are great. It's like the fashion scene, how many great clothing designers are not men. I hear that it is due to math. Most women do not like the higher forms of math. That's all I hear any one say.

Answer 10

You are right men are more for science and math than women because women are motherly in nature. Women are intuitive and imaginative more for the homes. Women have the characteristics of caring, loving, understanding, hopeful and decorating the homes for a better place to live in. Women by nature have to take good care of the children, etc. But there are exceptions always.