We need girls to be good at math

by Roger Sinasohn (Subscribe to Roger Sinasohn's posts) Oct 11th 2008 4:00PM

Categories: Just For Moms, Education, Gadgets & Tech

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In this country, sadly, we don't encourage advanced studies anywhere near as much as we should. In fact, it seems almost the opposite -- those who are passionate about hard science are the target of ridicule at best and victims of institutionalized physical abuse at the worst. And yet, while the stars of track and field can go on to become lawyers and own car dealerships, it is the nerds of the world that seem to make the difference -- people like Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak and, yes, Grace Hopper.

But can we afford this culture of anti-science where the brightest students are stuffed into lockers just for being smart? According to scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we cannot. And when it comes to girls, doubly not. "It is deemed uncool," the researchers wrote, "within the social context of USA middle and high schools to do mathematics for fun; doing so can lead to social ostracism. Consequently, gifted girls, even more so than boys, usually camouflage their mathematical talent to fit in well with their peers."

The problem is that "a majority of the top young mathematicians in this country were not born here," says Janet Mertz, the professor who led the study. "We are wasting this valuable resource," Mertz noted. "Girls can excel in math at the very highest level. There are some truly phenomenal women mathematicians out there."

She's right, of course. Since men are no longer banging women on the head and dragging them back to their caves, we need every great scientific mind we can get, regardless of what type of body it might be in.

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Comments (5)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

pbhj 10-11-2008 @ 4:32PM

Surely if we need mathematicians, then we need mathematicians. It doesn't matter what sex they are, hence we don't need girls to be good at maths, we don't need boys to be good at maths - we need people to be good at maths.

That said, I reckon we need people to have fulfilled lives in which they also contribute to society. I don't care what those people do: whether they're a seamstress, an astronaut, a coal miner, a maths professor, a midwife ... it doesn't matter.

>>> "we need every great scientific mind we can get, regardless of what type of body it might be in"

Not so sure: Dr Rascher conducted some of the most useful experiments concerning recovery from hypothermia - in Nazi germany on PoW's. A great scientist, but not a great human.

isisaquaria 10-12-2008 @ 12:19AM

As the mother of three females and one male----I think this is a public school thing. My 13yo and 6yo both excel at math, science, language arts, history/social studies--japanese and german--but they both attend a school which requires grades in any class do not drop below 90, or probation and then expulsion for those who do not excel. So there is no name calling for those who wish to display the true intelligence they posess. I see this more in the kids that attend schools where cliques are present--which we do not have as much of--partly because everyone test in, and we are so small. Articles like this makes every penny I pay for the improved environment to accelerate education worth it.

David Cordeiro 10-12-2008 @ 1:50PM

One solution to this sorry state of affairs is the growing popularity of Math Circles (http://www.mathcircles.org). We are particularly fortunate in Dallas, TX that Dr. Titu Andreescu, one of the authors of this study, is the founder and director of the Metroplex Math Circle (http://www.metroplexmathcircle.org).

Jenn 10-12-2008 @ 2:44PM

Don't forget :
Ada Byron King (countess of Lovelace) -- Lord Byron's daughter, and a mathematician who worked with Babbage on the difference engine.

Edith Clarke -- a mathematician and computer scientist who was the first woman to achieve a number of things.

Erna Schneider Hoover -- received the first software patent EVER for her telephone switching software, the principles of which are still used today.

And any number of other women.

Jenni 10-13-2008 @ 9:58AM

Wow, I must be very lucky. I was the top in my class in math my entire life. I was a girl and no one ever stopped me. The other girls in my class were never stopped from trying in math either. We were all treated equally in all areas of curriculum.
I may not be in a math related field, but that has nothing to do with me being encouraged or discouraged to do so. It has everything to do with my choices and what I want to do.
I was always proud of my math abilities and defintely never shoved them away to "fit in".
I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but maybe we are just making something big out of nothing. Really, I think it's a matter of brainwiring. I'm really good in mathmatical skills, my brother not so much. I also believe, however, than there are some genetic brain traits that we can't get around.

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