EDUCATION, MAIN REASON OF WOMEN UNDERREPRESENTATION IN THE HARD SCIENCES : A RGUMENT

EDUCATION, MAIN REASON OF WOMEN UNDERREPRESENTATION IN THE HARD SCIENCES: ARGUMENT

EDUCATION, MAIN REASON OF WOMEN UNDERREPRESENTATION IN THE HARD SCIENCES: ARGUMENTYAO YADIKUWA MARIE-DOMINIQUE

IntroductionThesis :Even though there are many reasons for womens underrepresentation in sciences, the main one remains the environment in which those women are raised. In other words, education given by schools, parents and popular culture to girls, more often than not, turns them away from scientific fields.

CounterargumentSome scholars argue that women are not biologically made for scientific careers, because unlike men, their brains lack certain characteristics that define good scientists. For a really long time, women have been said to be less smart than men because, according to Brush, the female brain was said to be "less lateralized"(407) and the authoritative studies conducted by Eleanor Maccoby and Carol Jacklin, based on biology, confirmed that males have a better spatial visualization and mathematical skills, the very cognitive abilities needed for success in science and engineering.

Line of argument 1: parents are not always willing to encourage their girls entering the hard sciences Most parents questioned for the surveys done by Archer Louie et al. about jobs that they like for their young girls consider nurturing (childcare) and glamorous jobs (model) as better and more desirable for their girls. That means that when girls decide to study science, parents are less likely to encourage them the way they do with boys. It is also often shown in families that women should be care givers while men are supposed to be bread winners

Line of argument 2:society has depicted women scientists as unattractive which hinder women to join scientific fieldAmerican popular culture has a long tradition of anti-intellectualism, which is still constantly reinforced by television and the press, and science is seen as conflicting with the virility of men and even more incompatible with the femininity of women (Brush 405). Brush reports the general attitude: "real men don't do science, real women don't even think about it"(406)

Line of argument 3: An inappropriate education and environment at school lowers girls interest and performance in scienceMathematics and physics are crucial to succeed in sciences but these classes are introduced too late in the American curriculum, a period when students, especially girls, are less focused on classes, being busy with their adolescence(Brush 407). However, teachers are not always helping girls especially when girls are subject to mockery or discrimination based on the fact they are not good enough

Works citedArcher, Louise et al. Not girly, not Sexy, not Glamorous: Primary School Girls and Parents.Constructions of Science Aspirations. Pedagogy, Culture & Society 21.1 (2013). Web. 16 Jun. 2014.Avallone, Linnea et al. Supporting the Retention and Advancement of Women in the Atmospheric Sciences: What Women Are Saying. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 94(September 2013). Web. 13 Jun 2014.Brush, Stephen G. Women in Science and Engineering American Scientist 79.5 (1991): 404-419. Web 13 Jun. 2014.Conefrey, Theresa Sexual Discrimination and Women's Retention Rates in Science and Engineering Programs Feminist Teacher 13.3 (2001): 170-192. University of Illinois Press. Web 19 June. 2014.Hill, Catherine et al. Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. AAUW (2010):4-48. Web. 15 Jun. 2014.Tietjen, Jill Why So Few Still? Engineerings Image Problem is Driving down enrollments IEEEXplore, Oct.2004.Web 20 Jun 2014.