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New Study Concludes Math Gender Gap Is Cultural, Not Biological

Posted by timothy on from the nice-to-see-non-paywalled-articles dept.

New submitter germansausage writes "A new study was published today in Notices of the American Mathematical Society, looking at data from 86 countries, to test the 'greater male variability hypothesis' as the primary reason for the scarcity of outstanding women mathematicians. It concludes that cultural and not biological factors are the chief causes (PDF) of the gap in math skills between men and women."

17 of 472 comments (clear)

  1. Just ask a Scotsman... by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wearing skirts is also cultural, not biological

    1. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by _0xd0ad · · Score: 5, Funny

      A Kilt is No True Skirt

      FTFY.

    2. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

      So the sheep won't hear the zipper.

    3. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Funny

      Scots can wear their national dress, but I'll stick to my national pants and national shirt

    4. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by Libertarian001 · · Score: 5, Funny

      So, my friend Adam and I are standing in line at the check-out counter. Adam likes to wear kilts. The little girl in front of us points at him and says to her mother, "Look, Mommy! That man is wearing a dress!" The lady responded to her daughter, "No, Sweetie, he's wearing a kilt."

      "Mommy...What's a kilt?"

      "It's a dress for men."

    5. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by Belial6 · · Score: 5, Funny

      All you have done is described the kind of skirt that a kilt is.

    6. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ask any Scot.

      Hello.

      Many Scots [...] will take great offense

      Many short men with a deeply ingrained inferiority complex will take great offence at a lot of things, but the way to deal with that is to pat them on the head and say "Calm down, little fellow, it's a perfectly fetching skirt and very flattering with your figure" not to take their angry rantings seriously. It just encourages them.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    7. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

      >> "Mommy...What's a kilt?"

      It's what you'll be if you keep making fun of his dress.

    8. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by Libertarian001 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, yeah, don't respond to my own...

      So we lived in Reno at the time. Nice, gambling town. Lots of casinos. They all have, I don't know what they're called, hot air vents/grating in front of the doors, blowing upwards. So Adam and I walking into the casino (about an hour after the check-out-encounter), and he's still wearing his kilt, and he decides that *now* is the time to do his Marilyn Monroe impression. He's standing there, with hair longer than that of most women, and a beard, as the vents blow his kilt up.

      Everyone thought it was pretty funny and the security lady decided to get in on the act. She walks up and asks, "Sir, do you know what real men wear under their kilts?" And Adam says, "Nothing, but I'm wearing *this*!" and pulls up his kilt to show off his tie-dye boxers.

    9. Re:Just ask a Scotsman... by khallow · · Score: 3, Funny

      From what I can tell they're not "skirts" because the Scots don't want them to be called skirts.

      This is all context dependent. If the Scot is also carrying something pretty dangerous, say a claymore or bagpipes, then the kilt is NOT a skirt. If the Scot is carrying only harmless things such as cell phones or twinkies, then it's a skirt.

  2. While... by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Funny

    Men may multiply...

    Women divide into two, or more.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. Trust the Study by geoffrobinson · · Score: 5, Funny

    It was done by a man and involves lots of math.

    --
    Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
    1. Re:Trust the Study by NoSleepDemon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes credit where credit's due - she probably cooked him some delicious meals!

  4. Lets do some math in my room by vivek7006 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What do you say we go back to my room and do some math: add you and me, subtract our clothes, divide your legs, and multiply.

  5. Re:Still readying the artical but... by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I find it interesting how many people are apparently completely willing to accept that women's superiority in language ability is biological.

    Nah. It's only better because they get lots more practice.

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  6. Re: The way things are supposed to be. by cosm · · Score: 5, Funny

    My Christian Comrades,

    The Lord tells us that wives should submit to their husbands, and He granted men their greater ability to do math and science to help enforce this view. All of the neo-Nazi bra-burning feminists who wish to bridge this so-called "gap" are merely trying to undermine the Christian values of our nation. This is the way things are supposed to be, so there is no "gap."

    Sincerely, Jake

    My Fellow Mathematicians,

    The Calculus tells us that The Numbers should submit to their domains, and It granted mathematicians their greater ability to do math and science to help enforce this view. All of the neo-Nazi math-burning Luddites who wish to bridge this so-called "gap" are merely trying to undermine the Mathematical values of our scientific establishment. This is the way things are supposed to be, so there is no "gap.", other than the gaps between prime numbers.

    Sincerely, The Troll Feeder

    PS: I was going to find something witty about the bible calling pi = 3, but then I learned something new today :) http://www.purplemath.com/modules/bibleval.htm (cool stuff for math history geeks!)

    --
    'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
  7. Re:unicode is hard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    evidently, whoever is in charge of utf support for this site
    was more interested in the "math is hard" sort of toys.