Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Study of 1.6 Million Grades Shows Little Gender Difference in Math and Science at School (theconversation.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

A study of school grades of more than 1.6 million students shows that girls and boys perform similarly in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. From a report: The research, published today in Nature Communications, also shows that girls do better than boys in non-STEM subjects. Our results provide evidence that large gaps in the representation of women in STEM careers later in life are not due to differences in academic performance. One explanation for gender imbalance in STEM is the "variability hypothesis." This is the idea that gender gaps are much larger at the tails of the distribution -- among the highest and lowest performers -- than in the middle.

3 of 370 comments (clear)

  1. STEM jobs by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There isn't a big financial incentive to go into STEM jobs if you are a college-educated professional. The pay is good, but there is a limit to your professional growth and you have to actually do work and produce results. In reality, sales and marketing at tech companies make as much or more as STEM people. So unless you really enjoy STEM, it is better off avoiding it as a career. I think many women have figured this out.

  2. So, when are we going to do somethign about this? by gerald.edward.butler · · Score: 5, Funny

    >> also shows that girls do better than boys in non-STEM subjects.

    So, we need to have a massive influx of cash, capital, action to ensure that boys catch up to girls in non-STEM subjects. Boys go to and graduate from college less frequently than girls. There needs to be massive encouragement and support for boys to attend college. Something must be done. It is unconscionable that boys are being left behind like this. There seems to be a massive, systematic, institutional prejudice against boys that is causing them to fail. Something must be done. Boys are 50% of the population, but, they are not 50% of College graduates. Something must be done. There should be scholarships and camps and meetings and web-sites and discussion forums and bridge groups. This is absolutely unfair and shows a great prejudice and discrimination against boys and maleness.

  3. Conclusion highly suspect. by supercell · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Considering the authors, the funding source and even that they get funding to study gender issues, smells of a biased result.