Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2001 6:28
PM
Subject: [issues] Women in the
Sciences
Remember, women weren't even going to college en
masse until the 20th century - that has a lot to do with the lack of women in
the sciences. There are several reports, including one done by the UAAW
about schools shortchanging girls in the 1990s, that one of the reasons there
are so few women in technology, math, and sciences in general is that they are
disuaded from these fields by society and schooling. And hey, you do
need advanced school to be in these fields. In fact, most girls are more
advanced than their male classmates in the maths and sciences up until they
hit adolescence. Then their scores tend to take a nose dive.
There are several theories for this. I just
watched a special on PBS last night that said that white males tend to have
better test scores on the SAT and similar standardized tests than women and
minorities. The ironic thing is that these tests are supposed to gauge
who is going to have better grades in their first year of college within a 15%
variant and women tend to get better grades by far in their first year.
Go figure.
I, myself, was pretty good at those tests and was
advanced in math and sciences during high school. I was taking Advanced
Algebra in 9th grade and took science courses every year. However, I
also took many English courses that I loved - even a few at the local
community college, and ended up being a English Literature major in
college. I try to think about why I chose the path I did
sometimes. One thing I do remember is my Trig. teacher ignoring my
upraised hand a lot. It seemed that a girl who was good in school to her
was a normal thing and she subtly boosted the guys egos a little more when
they had answers right. The guy friends I hung out with never seemed to
notice and I felt stupid for picking up that subtle feeling, but it made me
tune out more and more. I guess I felt I had to prove myself a lot
more.
And I'll the truth. The reason I am
interested in computers right now and still interested in the sciences and
technology in general is probably related to the fact that my dad was a
computer engineer and really taught me some stuff as well as supporting
me. Also, I have tended to be a tomboy and have lots of guy friends and
generally geeky friends who have supported my friends. And then there's
my husband - computer whiz extroidinaire. Mostly, though, it's because I
am stubborn and believe I can do anything if I really want to. And I
hope to teach my daughters that, too. That you are a human being first
and a gender second.
Lisa
