Opening doors for women in computing

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mathematical aptitude between girls and boys

For those who assume that women have less apitutde for math,
there is copious serious research that suggests otherwise. At
the bottom is an excerpt from the study from the Ford
Foundation ( http://www.fordfound.org/elibrary/documents/
0127/007.cfm)

of course, this research could be flawed but please at least
consider it.

I do agree that the disproportionate numbers of women in tech
and science MAY be PARTLY due to natural inclinations that are
more prevalent in women than in men. However, i think that to
say that natural inclination is the ONLY cause of the
underrepresentation of women in tech and sci would be a huge
assumption to make, and almost surely an incorrect one. Just
like there are men who are inclined towards fields more typically
associated with women, there are women with as much interest
and aptitude in science, math and IT as men who are successful
in these fields.

The point of many studies about women in tech and sci is to try
to make sure the environment is as fair and nurturing for these
women as for men, that's all. These studies really shouldn't be
taken as threats or criticisms to men.

I agree with you that most artificial causes of the
underrepresentation of
women in tech and sciences are not the result of
conscious, chauvinistic practices of men. Some harmful
societal factors may even have been imposed on women by their
own mothers! Except for some unfortunate feminist studies,
most serious studies about women in tech and sci are not about
finding who to blame, only about trying to make things more
fair.

Wise, Steel, and MacDonald (1979) analyzed test data from
Project Talent, a longitudinal study of 400,000 students in high
school in 1960, to determine the extent of sex differences with
and without controlling for the effect of course-taking. They
found no sex differences among the 9th graders in the Project
Talent Study in 1960, but by 1963 these same students differed
significantly. The gains by males on the test were more than
twice that of females in the three-year interval. However, when
the data were reanalyzed to control for the number of
mathematics courses taken in high school, the sex differences
among seniors disappeared.

Posted by: rareza   Posted on: 02/07/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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