Women and Science - "Bad Idea. You'll Flunk Out." What do you think?

Question

Lately I've been seeing these comments on how women are incapable when it comes to math and science and I thought I'd share this article (AGAIN) with you. So, after reading the article below, what are your thoughts?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1032362,00.html

Me, I understand. I was an odd case. I liked and aced Geometry and Physics. I hated - especially Trig, Calc and Chemistry. I found my real passion was thinking, writing, and learning about other cultures, so I majored in languages.

Also wondering, anyone here a math/science teacher?

The Mrs. - that's interesting - you are in an excellent position to see, at a very early age, if this girls-suck-at-science theory holds water? Well, does it?

The Mrs. Thank you for sharing that.

Ironically, my best friend in hs was a Polish girl who was such a genius in math, physics, chem, and the rest - she set the curves! One girl (*****) even said to the chem teacher that it's not fair that she gets all A+ when she doesn't even speak English. Mind you, we were here for only 3 years, we both met in the ESL program and all our classes were honors or AP. I did drop out of chem honors and got an A in regular. My friend Eve didn't talk much because she was was afraid people would not like her accent. She currently has her PHD in biochem something or other.

I was more into the arts, and it really surprised them senior year when I kicked their @ss in Shakespeare (AP Engl). They made fun of me too for 2 other reasons.

I agree with you Vio. It was the same in my country, Romania.

Answer 1

Intellectual aptitude differences between sexes are too small to matter. And, even those minuscule differences have not been objectively isolated as genetic or acculturated differences. Learning ABILITY is not "gender" based, either. But, enthusiasm for learning can be damaged with cultural messages, such as the barrage that young females suffer. For example, in a research project, parents allowed young sons to use scissors 6 - 8 months sooner than they do daughters. Those early and persistent cultural genderizations deform female true potentials.

Humans have eight learning styles. Males and females are found essentially equally in each of those learning styles. Certain learning styles predispose some people more toward math and science. Others do not. The U.S. lags behind the rest of the world in recognizing individual learning styles and focuses instead on a backward model of only two styles, Spatial / Verbal. My math and science early childhood curriculums, for example, are designed specifically for the "naturalistic" learner. And, they sell well in other more educationally progressive nations. That is my niche. Any focus on sex differences in learning aptitude is meaningless and malicious, similar to research conducted last century to find if Blacks were cognitively inferior to Whites, which, by the way, was done for the purpose of disallowing Blacks from their right to vote unless they could pass a pre-voting test to prove they were of "human-enough" intelligence to be allowed to participate in society as voters.

Answer 2

This is an issue that has been a problem in education for a long time as well as other stereotypes which effect boys and various ethnicities. As a result there has been a large effort not to pigeon hole students by their race or gender. There are now many organizations, books and classes which better help and able teachers and parents to cut out these stereotypes.

EDIT- I had a C in both my Algebra 2 and Biology class in high school when I took the states standardized test. I scored in the 99 percentile.....both of my teachers were women.

EDIT- I see little difference between my boys and girls in Science. My boys tend to be more motivated by it, but their overall grades are very similar. I do think boys and girls (in general) learn differently. Girls learn more by talking, stories and analogies, while boys learn better through kinetics, experiments and other hands on activities. However there are always a handful of exceptions. I was one of them. I think there is more of a societal and individual impact on students success in a specific subject than gender or race.

Answer 3

Growing up I was always much better in math and science than history or language. I was always encouraged by my Asian family to pursue the maths/sciences.
I think discouraging women from going into math and science is more of a cultural problem in the West.

Answer 4

As long as we keep asking this as an "either...or" question or an "all or nothing" question, we will continue not to get at the truth. It's not a matter of whether women suck at math and science. There are differences, even within each gender, in the strengths and weaknesses a person's brain has from its earliest formation in the womb. This is why not all of us are naturally great at math and science. It doesn't mean that those who aren't naturally gifted in an area of academics can't learn and function well in any area. The goal ought to be for every person to progress in every area of knowledge--whether naturally gifted or not.

Answer 5

I'm a man with two undergraduate degrees (in the sciences), and a master's of science degree. I have always sucked in math and have been very talented when it comes to the sciences; only the natural sciences though. Chemistry F'd up my head more than once...

Answer 6

When I was a kid my teacher told my mum that I was mathematically gifted. However, due to a number of things I did not achieve (anything) when I left school and my gift has been lost. I am good at arithmatic every day stuff, but I will never know what my education might have been if my gift had been nurtured.

Answer 7

Why do you care what other people think about your abilities. You study what you are interested in. I will tell you that there are many more women in college studying math/science than before. When I went to college there was only one woman in my class of 200 chemical engineers graduates.

Answer 8

I studied physics. The undergraduate intake in my year was 180, 220 including joint honours students.

There were 40 women, 180 men.

The distribution of results upon graduation was almost identical. Statistically indistinguishable. Despite the fact that women were offered entrance at a slightly lower grade to encourage them to apply.

The university at which I studied was and still is considered to have amongst the highest standards in the world in Physics. There was no doubt in the admissions section, the minds of the tutors, professors, Nobel Laureates of which there were several, research staff or students - that women are just as capable of contributing.

The days of big science where single people make vast world changing discoveries are all but gone. These days awards are mostly given to those who head up vast research teams. Or figureheads who popularise science.

Women achieve in science every day, as research fellows, as professors, as team members, as team leaders. There are still fewer of them, but that is changing.

The achievement of women in science is apparent to anyone who visits a serious research facility. There are lots of superb women in science.

Answer 9

Women and science are a great match. In fact, I'm actually involved in a group at my college called "Women In Science" (We include the behavioral sciences as well--I'm studying psychology and women's studies). I know so many incredibly brilliant women scientists--several of them have better grades than their male counterparts, and have been offered equal internships and graduate school positions. Our advisor is also an awesome woman in science--she even devotes a class specifically to famous females in science even though she typically teaches all microbiology classes. Thinking about the faculty at my university, there are as many tenured female professors as there are male professors (and all the females hold a PhD in their field!). Now who is to say that women and science aren't a match?

Answer 10

I've made my career in the science field. I've got my doctorate in Biochemistry and 50% of my graduate class was female. I have many female friends in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Chemistry and Physics.

I think EVERYONE should be encouraged to do what makes them happy. I don't think anyone should be told they're too stupid to do something, or that it's a "man's" or "woman's" job.