More on the math wars
For more on girls and math, The F-word Blog has put up a smart and even-handed post that goes into more depth than mine.
The study suggests, essentially, that Summers had the beginnings of a point. What it doesn’t do is justify the triumphant crowing of those who would have you believe that men are at the forefront of technical fields is because boys are brilliant and girls are rubbish (and should stay at home baking).
Please read the article, and acknowledge that a study of children taken entirely IN THE USA may have cultural bias FROM THE USA. Please, don’t continue the random-economist-commenting-on-gender tradition-without-reading at least the most famous papers. — thanks —
Science 30 May 2008:
Vol. 320. no. 5880, pp. 1164 – 1165
DOI: 10.1126/science.1154094
Analysis of PISA results suggests that the gender gap in math scores disappears in countries with a more gender-equal culture.
Jean
5 December 2008 at 3:56 pm