Women in Math: More Consequences
A study in Science reports that "simply overhearing that men have genes that make them better at math is enough to make women stumble on math tests,"
according to the Vancouver Sun.
The study, published today in the journal Science, says scientists need to be cognizant of the "stereotype threat" posed by research linking genes to obesity, sexual orientation or intelligence. It also suggests former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers' comments last year about female intelligence -- or the lack of it -- may have been even more damaging than his critics suggested.
Two Canadian scientists conducted a study in which they asked women to take math tests. Some of the women took the test after overhearing a faked (though they didn't know it) conversation to the effect that men have genes that make them better at math than women are.
The results?
The women scored, on average, 50-per-cent worse on the test than women who had not heard the comments about men's genetic advantage.
Hardly conclusive, but interesting.
The study is also reported on in
the Globe and Mail.
Joshua Aronson, a professor of applied psychology at New York University who specializes in stereotypes and self-esteem, said in an interview yesterday that Dr. Summer's comments were based on incorrect assumptions held by many people.
"When people think about biology, they tend to confuse it with things that are fixed and immutable. That's incorrect," Prof. Aronson said.
Again—an interesting contribution to the debate, but I think we've hardly heard the final word on the subject.
