Astronomy
As Terri concludes, the only people who are bad at math are those who blame biology for the lack of women in astronomy.
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An article in The Atlantic by Kathy Kay and Claire Shipman is well worth reading and pondering. On average, women are less confident than men, with harmful consequences for equitable advancement based on ability. "Confidence, " says psychologist...
- Where Are All The Women Professors? Among The Recently Hired!
I recently wrote a series of posts entitled "Where are all the women professors?" here and here. I began with a simple premise: "men and women are equally capable of succeeding as professional astronomers. There is no inherent (intrinsic)...
- Where Are The Women Astronomy Professors?
Entwives en Hiver by kaiortonGuest-post by John Johnson, professor of Astronomy in the Caltech Department of Astrophysics. His research is on the detection and characterization of exoplanets. This post is a re-post from his...
- 'wikithon' Honors Ada Lovelace And Other Women In Science
Today, October 16, is Ada Lovelace Day, an annual observation designed to raise awareness of the contributions of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. Groups in the U.S., U.K., Sweden and India are...
- Picture Of The Day
Picture Of The Day October 18 , Thursday : ...
Astronomy
On The Math Achievement Gender "Gap"
In previous posts I have written in support of affirmative action under the assumption that "men and women are equally capable of succeeding as professional astronomers. There is no inherent (intrinsic) difference in mental capacity, creativity, ability to learn, or any other factor that plays into the success of an astronomer." However, after digging around a bit, it turns out there is a difference in mathematical ability between men and women (Hyde, Fennema & Lamon 1990), and it's often cited as a reason why there aren't many women in "hard core" science fields. But it doesn't really work that way; the achievement "gap" is not at all what some would imply (h/t Slate).
Here's an insightful and witty slide presentation put together by computer scientist, Dr. Terri Oda, that should help explain things (see also this comprehensive review article by Elizabeth Fennema). Seriously. Go ahead and click through it. It takes less than 5 minutes. Then share it with anyone who attempts to explain the gender gap in the sciences on differences in the inherent math skills of men and women.
As Terri concludes, the only people who are bad at math are those who blame biology for the lack of women in astronomy.
How does biology explain the low numbers of women in computer science? Hint: it doesn't. from Terri Oda
- The Confidence Gap And Possible Effects On Persistence And Pay
An article in The Atlantic by Kathy Kay and Claire Shipman is well worth reading and pondering. On average, women are less confident than men, with harmful consequences for equitable advancement based on ability. "Confidence, " says psychologist...
- Where Are All The Women Professors? Among The Recently Hired!
I recently wrote a series of posts entitled "Where are all the women professors?" here and here. I began with a simple premise: "men and women are equally capable of succeeding as professional astronomers. There is no inherent (intrinsic)...
- Where Are The Women Astronomy Professors?
Entwives en Hiver by kaiortonGuest-post by John Johnson, professor of Astronomy in the Caltech Department of Astrophysics. His research is on the detection and characterization of exoplanets. This post is a re-post from his...
- 'wikithon' Honors Ada Lovelace And Other Women In Science
Today, October 16, is Ada Lovelace Day, an annual observation designed to raise awareness of the contributions of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. Groups in the U.S., U.K., Sweden and India are...
- Picture Of The Day
Picture Of The Day October 18 , Thursday : ...