When Bright Girls Decide That Math Is A Waste Of Time By Susan Jacoy Analysis

Jacoby claims that girls who opt out of math and science at the ripe age of 16 are sure to fail in the world of science and technology, as they are “eliminating themselves from any serious possibility of studying science as a result of decisions made during the vulnerable period of mid adolescence…” (Jacoby, 2004.) While

As discussed in a recent essay by Saul Kaplan “The Plight of Young Males”, there is a serious academic gender achievement gap in the United States and as I will discuss, around the world. Young women are doing significantly better than young men, and the results are shocking. In the latest census, males make up 51 percent of the total U.S. population between the ages of 18-24. Yet only 40 percent of today’s college students are men. Since 1982, more American women than men have received bachelor’s degrees. In the last ten years, two million more women graduated from college than men. As Kaplan reveals, the average eleventh-grade boy writes at the level of the average eighth-grade girl. He also states that women dominate high school honor rolls and now make up more than 70 percent of class valedictorians. Kaplan says, “I am happy to see women succeeding. But can we really afford for our country’s young men to fall so far behind,” (733)?

As per research ‘gender’ provides a perspective from which one could examine the biases that exist in the larger society. Some believe that to arrive at a more eloquent understanding of the problems of women in science , one should begin by asking what is the nature of science space that leads to under-representation and marginalisation of women rather than questioning the situation of a woman’s life that makes it difficult for her to pursue science.

The introductory sentence of Anna Hulbert’s article, “Boy Problems”, led to my reminiscence of my childhood days as a girl scout. My time spent as a girl scout was filled with cookie sales and father-daughter dances, not adults persuading me to pursue a career in either science, technology, or math. The “Girls Go Tech” campaigns warn that “by sixth grade, an alarming number of girls lose interest in math, science, and technology. Which means they won't qualify for most future jobs." However, this idea falls under the booby trap of a small sample. Concluding that young woman will not be qualified for a job based on a statistics that only represents the woman's primary schooling is absurd.

It's is written in history that the field of Math and Science seems to be a more male dominant field. The evidence shows that years ago women were discouraged from pursuing the field. We learned about the Darwin theory which is based on the fact that men were inferior to women. A theory that to a point made society actually believes that because men's brains were bigger they were smarter than females. This matter on top of a society that already didn't treat male and female equal created more challenges for women to succeed. Another main reason was that education for women wasn't as accessible as it was to men. Women didn't have the resources and at times weren't allowed to attend the schools available to men.

The force of societal stereotypes is a large part of this gap. Instead of joining STEM careers, the most common careers among women are secretaries, nurses, and elementary and middle school teachers (Mandell). This truly illustrates that when well-rounded, talented women have the choice, they are inclined to delve into the field in which society expects them to belong. In this way, the stereotype of women not being involved in STEM is forcing less women to be involved in these fields. The deficiency of women in technical fields, despite their well-roundedness and ability, can be directly related to unyielding cultural stereotypes that stigmatize women in supposedly masculine fields.

Susan Jacoby has held many professions from working as a freelance journalist to working as a reporter for the Washington Post. For the New York Times she wrote a piece tilted When Bright Girls Decide That Math Is “a Waste of Time”, in this piece she examines one applicable reason for as to why young women are producing lackluster work when it comes to math and science. Jacoby claims that young women are often deficient in such courses because they perceive these courses to be strongly correlated with masculinity and wisdom instead of femininity and appeal. As a result of such views, young women turn to courses and interests where women are held as a majority and where men are sparsely populated and recognized, dropping and rejecting courses that they have typed as instrumental. Jacoby states

In "When Bright Girls Decide That Math is "a Waste of Time", the main claims that are argued, are that adolescent girls are more susceptible to be pressured into an old stereotype that conveys women should not indulge themselves into mathematics and the sciences. This is a stereotype that has gradually weakened over the years. In paragraph 9 she constitutes an assessment ran in 1981 on female achievements. By doing this it created a sense of logos. Tests were run on girls between 9th and 12th grade to determine the difference in studies. Girls were as equal to or better that boys in problem solving and spatial abilities, this changed four years later and the boys were on top in these areas. The author provides counterevidence when she describes

Most of this gender disparity starts early. As early as in grade school. Young girls are rarely motivated to take Math and Science. This can be problematic because studies show that a lack in intellectual belief can in turn inhibit intellectual growth. There is also that persistent unconscious bias that Science and Math are male fields while females tend to do well

The discovery of interests in school begins at a young age, “career aspirations based on individual aptitudes, interests, and values are formulated during adolescence and shape the academic choices that lead to the STEM career pipeline” (Wang 771). Girls may discover that they are interested in science or mathematics at an early age, but they are generally compared to their male counterparts, who are given more attention at a younger age to pursue careers in this field. This time frame is critical, if attention is not given and more concentration is placed, girls may lose interest or consideration in the subject, seeing that it has nothing to offer for them. Jill Bystydzienski asserts, “little attention is paid, however to girls’ engagements with engineering during early stages of decision making” (1-2). If young females were given personal interactions with a field, they can then decide if they have a further interest in the subject. With no introduction to the field in middle school or even high school, the girls do not really understand what they can do with the profession. Some may explore options on their own, and others may just bypass the opportunities that could await them, “young girls cannot possibly consider opportunities they do not know exist” (“Why STEM”). Even when interest is expressed by girls at a young age they still do not have as many resources to opportunities to learn more about the

Interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is thinning for women as they progress into higher levels. Women in grades 7-12 were surveyed to see if their interest in STEM fields were diminishing. According to Van Leuvan, this survey showed that there was a decline in interest as these girls progress through high school. Throughout middle school and junior high a love for mathematics can be developed. However, a loss of interest is present as soon as girls hit more demanding classes like calculus. Grades will highly diminished and a fear for comprehension of mathematics in the future will develope. According to the article “Women and Minorities in Engineering” a major outlook on success from students is their ability to understand calculus.

Sitting in my general biology class today, learning about amazing biological discoveries, my male teacher jokingly said “Did you know there are women in science?” then went on to joke about how these women who had just made an amazing biological discovery even had PhD’s. As he went on to talk about the amazing things these women did, he talked about the discovery like he had for the other ones made by men. If women can make biological discoveries like men can why are they looked at differently in their graduate fields of study. In this essay I will explore the gender issue in education through the lens of feminism by evidence shown in past decades and today. Education was primarily for men while women were not even allowed in some classrooms, while over time this has changed.

The NCES report (2000) on science is a little different. It reports that between 1973 and 1994 nine to thirteen year old females were more likely to score lower than males and that seventeen year old females always scored lower. In the early grades girls and boys are equally as interested in science and math as boys and their achievement is comparable, it is in middle school when girls begin to fall behind (M. Sadker, D. Sadker, and Stulberg, 1999). In every article I read there is agreement that there is a gender gap in science and I am convinced that one exists.

Gender equity issues in mathematics and science have been the focus of many educators and researchers for years. Women have often been denied an equal education in math and science for many reasons. Parents and teachers must realize this fact and change their habits wherever necessary. Girls must be given the same opportunity as boys from the beginning, particularly in math and science where girls tend to lag behind.

Gender equity in terms of education is about the socialization of men and women and the results of this process on the life outcomes of the two genders (Husen & Postlethwaite, 1994). In the United States, the education system is required to treat males and females equally. There has been much research done to compare the genders in all areas. In the past, research has found that women fall far behind men in many areas such as math, and science, but men lag behind women in certain areas as well. Over the years, many provisions have been made with the goal of equalizing the treatment of girls and boys in public education. These improvements are proven successful as women, as well as men, are advancing in areas where they tend to lag