Myths about Women in Science

[Kurtz]

Girls lag in math and science degrees, but bias isn’t the reason.
On America's college campuses, females increasingly outnumber males. Among the students entering next fall, 60% of the bachelor's degrees are expected to go to women.

You can see this as a triumph for women, and to some extent it is. But the gender imbalance skews the social mix and threatens to create a large pool of disaffected, undereducated males. Now there's rising concern it could also endanger the nation's economic competitiveness.

The reason is that while more women are going to college, they remain underrepresented in the sciences and math. Only about two-fifths of science and engineering graduate students are women.

Because engineering skills are a vital competitive edge in the global economy, the need to boost that number is obvious. That leaves two paths: either lure more women into math and science majors or boost the number of men attending college. The answer is to do both, but bringing in more women promises the quicker payoff. Accomplishing that requires dispelling some persistent myths:


Bias keeps women out of these fields.

Feminist organizations assert that discrimination is the root of the disparity. A generation ago, bias was the explanation offered for the shortage of women in medicine and law. Today, more women than men are enrolled in medical schools, and nearly half of law school students are women.

The suggestion of a conspiracy coordinated by engineering department chairmen scattered among hundreds of campuses defies common sense. Some bias no doubt lingers, but it's unlikely that engineering school authorities are more chauvinistic than medical and law school establishments.


Women lack the aptitude.

Of all the science and math aptitude tests given to children, only one appears to favor men (the ability to mentally juggle three-dimensional images). And even that edge is debatable.

The other commonly cited gender difference is that on tests, men's scores cluster at the extreme ends, indicating more male geniuses and more dummies. When Lawrence Summers mused about these "intrinsic" differences, it created an uproar that helped make him the former president of Harvard. Summers had a point, but it's irrelevant unless you're looking for a reason why men dominate the highest awards in the sciences. Graduate students and professors need to be smart; they don't have to be Einsteins.


Women emerge poorly prepared from high school.

Twenty years ago, when boys dominated math and chemistry classes in high school, this theory had some credibility. But much has changed: A review of high school Advanced Placement tests shows girls have nearly caught up in calculus and chemistry and outperform boys in biology.

But how to draw more of these talented, well-prepared high school girls into math and engineering majors? What helps the most are good mentors and role models, female scientists say. In addition, employers must demonstrate that careers in those fields aren't incompatible with having a family. If it happened in medicine and law, careers once considered male preserves, it can in math and engineering as well.

Given the growing gender gaps on college campus, making it happen is a logical national goal and an economic imperative.


Dispel the Myth (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/10/our-view-on-wom.html)

Parents can play a big role in supportin' their children to not cut their options short, science 'n math are great fields, it really isn't that hard. Encourage your children to explore Science 'n Math!
Geez, we can't all be Rock Stars 'n Sportsmen . :lmao

[toxic]

Dispel the Myth (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/10/our-view-on-wom.html)

Parents can play a big role in supportin' their children to not cut their options short, science 'n math are great fields, it really isn't that hard. Encourage your children to explore Science 'n Math!
Geez, we can't all be Rock Stars 'n Sportsmen . :lmao


<<Women emerge poorly prepared from high school.>>

If they can emerge un-pregnant, it should help provide additional opportunities too.

Due to a clock programming error, I missed the end of Boston Legal. They had a hypothetical case of a HIV Positive 15 year old girl, sueing her high school for teaching Abstinance Only. It seems like an interesting possibility for a case.


As for men, we were meant to be Drones and would like to encourage women to take care of us and make us your sex objects. Of course, Drones don't take care of kids, shop or clean house either. :)

[Kurtz]

<<Women emerge poorly prepared from high school.>>

If they can emerge un-pregnant, it should help provide additional opportunities too.

Due to a clock programming error, I missed the end of Boston Legal. They had a hypothetical case of a HIV Positive 15 year old girl, sueing her high school for teaching Abstinance Only. It seems like an interesting possibility for a case.


As for men, we were meant to be Drones and would like to encourage women to take care of us and make us your sex objects. Of course, Drones don't take care of kids, shop or clean house either. :)

Your latter message is probably a huge factor why girls get pregnant in high school.
Course, I think the sexes over rate the other sex quite a bit. :wink

[Wabash]

Dispel the Myth (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/10/our-view-on-wom.html)

Parents can play a big role in supportin' their children to not cut their options short, science 'n math are great fields, it really isn't that hard. Encourage your children to explore Science 'n Math!
Geez, we can't all be Rock Stars 'n Sportsmen . :lmao

Or..........Basket Weavers and Enviro Whacko Idealogs!

<<Women emerge poorly prepared from high school.>>

If they can emerge un-pregnant, it should help provide additional opportunities too.

Due to a clock programming error, I missed the end of Boston Legal. They had a hypothetical case of a HIV Positive 15 year old girl, sueing her high school for teaching Abstinance Only. It seems like an interesting possibility for a case.


As for men, we were meant to be Drones and would like to encourage women to take care of us and make us your sex objects. Of course, Drones don't take care of kids, shop or clean house either. :)

When I moved to southern Oregon, 30 years ago, the prevailing attitude of most of the high school graduates was...the guys go to the mill or the woods, just like their parents and grandparents before them and the girls go out and have babies. Thanks to the influx of Californians, many go on to College now, but many still have the old mindset and want to party and do drugs! This is not unlike other parts of the country....

Boston Legal, par for the course, triumps Liberal Bias over common sense as usual. The acting is Great! The stories are shit, because it's 90% Liberal Bias, with lots of Bush and Christian Bashing!!
As for the Drones...speak for Yourself!!!! I can do ANYthing a woman can do, and better,... around the house or with the kids....and have most of my life!

[Kurtz]

Or..........Basket Weavers and Enviro Whacko Idealogs!



When I moved to southern Oregon, 30 years ago, the prevailing attitude of most of the high school graduates was...the guys go to the mill or the woods, just like their parents and grandparents before them and the girls go out and have babies. Thanks to the influx of Californians, many go on to College now, but many still have the old mindset and want to party and do drugs! This is not unlike other parts of the country....

Boston Legal, par for the course, triumps Liberal Bias over common sense as usual. The acting is Great! The stories are shit, because it's 90% Liberal Bias, with lots of Bush and Christian Bashing!!
As for the Drones...speak for Yourself!!!! I can do ANYthing a woman can do, and better,... around the house or with the kids....and have most of my life!



:nono
Be careful, Wabby, I somehow think you lack
talent in some things you want women to do. :wink

[Wabash]

:nono
Be careful, Wabby, I somehow think you lack
talent in some things you want women to do. :wink

Naw...they are VERY talented in Some Areas! I was only referring to household chores and caring for the children. The two women I married and had children with, were too busy flitting around doing " their thing" and dumped the kids on me. So, I not only was the Chief provider, but the Chief caretaker as well. Good thing I knew how to cook or the kids would have starved!:wink

I have NO illusions about what a woman can do.....

[Kurtz]

Naw...they are VERY talented in Some Areas! I was only referring to household chores and caring for the children. The two women I married and had children with, were too busy flitting around doing " their thing" and dumped the kids on me. So, I not only was the Chief provider, but the Chief caretaker as well. Good thing I knew how to cook or the kids would have starved!:wink

I have NO illusions about what a woman can do.....

My partner's father was left that way, well kinda. His first wife died.
Here's my bitch about men who bitch they do women's work well, they only have to do it 'n they're praised for it when women get no recognition for doin' it, even by other women. It's women's work, it's men's work, hell to me, it's family work. I miss my ol' lady, she did a lot around the house as did I coz I decided to not work outside the home any more. But one thing's for sure to me, it takes a lot of work to have a good operatin' home, I don't know how workin' folks do it unless they got partners.

You sound like you were a good dad to your kids when they were growin' up motherless. :hug

[issac the dragon]

You are so right Kurtz. Let a man change one diaper and you'd think he was a god. And I've never heard of a man being accused of being a bad housekeeper if he had a wife. Its her job and she gets the bitch.

Maybe if they promised all women scientists that their hubbies would come home from work and help it would be enough to encourage women.

[toxic]

My partner's father was left that way, well kinda. His first wife died.
Here's my bitch about men who bitch they do women's work well, they only have to do it 'n they're praised for it when women get no recognition for doin' it, even by other women. It's women's work, it's men's work, hell to me, it's family work. I miss my ol' lady, she did a lot around the house as did I coz I decided to not work outside the home any more. But one thing's for sure to me, it takes a lot of work to have a good operatin' home, I don't know how workin' folks do it unless they got partners.

You sound like you were a good dad to your kids when they were growin' up motherless. :hug

I know how women get pissed at men. I worked with a true genius at Hughes Aircraft. Now, I think I'm damn smart in engineering, but this guy was a real all around genius. I was shocked when he pulled out a guitar at a party once. I thought - No ... No way, ... but he could sing and play excellently. He told good jokes between songs and was ... completely entertaining.

But this is how he treated his wife. He got her to agree that whoever was bothered the most by a mess should be the one to clean it. Guess what, cleanliness was not one of his interests. She did everything to hold the house together and he would hang around at school part-time (we were both on Hughes Fellowship) and hook up with chicks there.

Of course, he didn't appreciate her effort and I'm sure he never said thanks. What's weird, it he did understand people, but just tortured her. ??????????

Finally, she threw him out. When he told me, he was laughing about her throwing his cloths out on the front lawn.

Bright guy, but bad partner. I have no idea how someone would recognize him as a problem before getting involved.

[toxic]

You are so right Kurtz. Let a man change one diaper and you'd think he was a god. And I've never heard of a man being accused of being a bad housekeeper if he had a wife. Its her job and she gets the bitch.

Maybe if they promised all women scientists that their hubbies would come home from work and help it would be enough to encourage women.

Women suffer from an ailment. They care or feel guilty when other's think badly of them.

I have a quotation on my bulletin board:

"Not caring is what being a man is all about." - Al Bundy 1991 :)

[issac the dragon]

I hate Al Bundy. He pushes every button I own. A lot of successful men treat their wives like shit.

[Wabash]

My partner's father was left that way, well kinda. His first wife died.
Here's my bitch about men who bitch they do women's work well, they only have to do it 'n they're praised for it when women get no recognition for doin' it, even by other women. It's women's work, it's men's work, hell to me, it's family work. I miss my ol' lady, she did a lot around the house as did I coz I decided to not work outside the home any more. But one thing's for sure to me, it takes a lot of work to have a good operatin' home, I don't know how workin' folks do it unless they got partners.

You sound like you were a good dad to your kids when they were growin' up motherless. :hug

Well, they weren't motherless, and they would do stuff with the kids on occassion, but I did a lot more then I thought I should have, since they only worked "part time" on occassion. One sold Amway and jewelry and would have starved if she was single, the other was a substitute teacher and totally our of her league...she was the last person any of the schools wanted to call...and for good reason. That's a book in itself!
I raised 5 kids, 4 boys and a girl and cooked and changed diapers, gave em baths, read to them and cleaned the house and did the laundry and worked a full time job as a cop.....when the kids were old enough to understand, I divorced those two gals forthwith!

You are so right Kurtz. Let a man change one diaper and you'd think he was a god. And I've never heard of a man being accused of being a bad housekeeper if he had a wife. Its her job and she gets the bitch.

Maybe if they promised all women scientists that their hubbies would come home from work and help it would be enough to encourage women.

Changing a diaper being a god...Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Never thought of it that way and I changed hundreds of diapers! It just had to be done, because Mom was not around to do it!
It takes two to make a marriage work...every facet should be shared...

I know how women get pissed at men. I worked with a true genius at Hughes Aircraft. Now, I think I'm damn smart in engineering, but this guy was a real all around genius. I was shocked when he pulled out a guitar at a party once. I thought - No ... No way, ... but he could sing and play excellently. He told good jokes between songs and was ... completely entertaining.

But this is how he treated his wife. He got her to agree that whoever was bothered the most by a mess should be the one to clean it. Guess what, cleanliness was not one of his interests. She did everything to hold the house together and he would hang around at school part-time (we were both on Hughes Fellowship) and hook up with chicks there.

Of course, he didn't appreciate her effort and I'm sure he never said thanks. What's weird, it he did understand people, but just tortured her. ??????????

Finally, she threw him out. When he told me, he was laughing about her throwing his cloths out on the front lawn.

Bright guy, but bad partner. I have no idea how someone would recognize him as a problem before getting involved.

Yep, smart people can still be ....dildos!

Women suffer from an ailment. They care or feel guilty when other's think badly of them.

I have a quotation on my bulletin board:

"Not caring is what being a man is all about." - Al Bundy 1991 :)

I Loved old Al Bundy. It was funny to me, because his attitude was absolutely foreign to me and I thought how many guys like that, are there, really? Apparently more then I thought, although I have never met a family man who is like that!

I hate Al Bundy. He pushes every button I own. A lot of successful men treat their wives like shit.

I can't relate to that at all! I've never treated Anyone like shit! Furthermore, if it wasn't for the screwed up women I married, I'd be a millionaire by now. It cost me a small fortune to get rid of the last one!

[toxic]

I hate Al Bundy. He pushes every button I own. ...

I just thought everyone in "Married With Children", were so totally disfunctional, it was funny.