January 31, 2005
-
Gender isn’t in the science equation
BEWARE OF `STEREOTYPE THREAT’ — EXPECTATIONS PLAY ROLE IN ACHIEVEMENT BY WOMEN
“Economists,” according to one of the best, John Kenneth Galbraith, “when they seek to be profound, often succeed only in being wrong.” And when they are wrong, according to another famed economist, John Maynard Keynes, they are more powerful than is commonly understood.
The wisdom of these two economic behemoths was evident in the recent statements made by fellow economist and Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers. His suggestion that biological differences between the sexes may be one explanation for why fewer women succeed in science and math careers brought a storm of editorial and other responses.
As a biologist, university professor, former campus chancellor and now University of California provost, I understand something of the power of Summers’ comments. And both the research and our experience at the University of California, where four of our 10 campuses are led by women (including an engineer, a chemist and an astrophysicist), clearly suggest that Summers is wrong.
First, there is at least one clear reason women are still under-represented in math and science that has nothing to do with quaint old notions of innate differences. That is a legacy of under-representation of women in higher education itself until the mid-20th century. It was only 35 years ago, after all, that Harvard began admitting women.
Then there is the research. There is ample evidence, based on decades of path-breaking research on learning, showing that socialization and expectations are prime influencers on what everyone — including academic women themselves — expects of women. Summers’ point that fewer girls than boys have top scores on science and math tests in late high school years may be true. But the research provides fair warning of “stereotype threat” — if society, institutions, teachers and leaders like Summers expect overtly or subconsciously that girls and women will not perform as well as boys and men, there is a good chance that many will not perform as well.
The rewards gap
In addition, there is well-documented evidence that women’s achievements are not valued, recognized and rewarded to the same extent as are those of their male counterparts.
On the other hand, there is scant evidence of genetic differences between the sexes in the ability to learn science and math, and there are enough well-qualified female scientists and engineers coming through major research universities’ Ph.D. programs, such as those at the University of California, to fill some of the openings at Harvard and other top universities.
Brilliant women — such as Linda Buck, this year’s Nobel laureate in medicine and physiology — are actively contributing to a multitude of difficult global problems.
This is why the University of California has been able to make such solid gains in closing its own gender-equity gap. To achieve these results, UC studied the issue of gender equity, prodded and encouraged by state Sen. Jackie Speier. We, unlike Harvard, concluded that the competitiveness of UC in the next decade depends upon our ability to identify and cultivate these talented women to become our faculty.
Even a cursory examination of the national Ph.D. production shows clearly that the most rapidly growing pool of highly qualified candidates with first-rate credentials is female. The university must attract these candidates if for no other reason than to maintain the high quality of our faculty.
In addition, as many studies have shown, there is still much to do in cultivating young girls and women for work in the sciences and mathematics. If girls abandon science and math because we perceive them as performing less well than boys in those fields, then we are failing these young people, and we are risking a huge loss for our society.
Don’t waste brainpower
It is, in short, a matter of economic competitiveness. As our country falls behind in science and technology innovation, we simply cannot afford to waste the intellectual resources of more than half of our population. Recognizing and facing the crisis, the University of California has this year introduced a Math and Science Initiative to improve education in these fields across the spectrum of K-12 through higher education.
We need help from the state, the nation, and all concerned citizens to continue to fill the gaps in the science and math career progress of women and girls. First, rather than blaming the shortfall on the girls themselves, it is far more productive to learn more about the theories and the data, and embark on improving the situation.
President Summers did conclude that the whole issue of the absence of women from high-powered jobs in science is too important to sentimentalize. With that, I wholeheartedly agree.
M.R.C. GREENWOOD, a biologist and former chancellor of UC-Santa Cruz, now serves as provost and senior vice president of the University of California — the first woman to hold the post. She wrote this article for the Mercury News.
—————————————–
—————————————–
