Math and Science

When I first saw the title of the article we read for this weeks blog post I immediately thought to myself how I have always had the feeling that careers in math and science are typically dominated by males. But is that really the right thing to think? After reading what Steven and Elizabeth had to say I thought to myself that maybe they both make valid points but is one of them really the right point? I like reading what they each had to say and I cant really say I leaned one way or the other when it comes to what point is the correct point. In today's world everyone has the view that men dominate the work force when it comes to careers in math and science, but if you stop and really look closer you can find some pretty important women in those same careers. Men and women share many of the same similarities when it comes to the two sexes, but they also show many differences, and in my opinion careers are one of the similarities they show. Women are just as capable as men when it comes to going to college and getting a degree and going out and getting a job in the career field they dream of. Elizabeth made some key points about how the sex differences start when children are young or even infants. She made some valid points but I don't think its all about what toys kids play with or what their parents have them do growing up. Not every child is raised with in the same family and not every child has the same lifestyle growing up. Some children are raised with more money and more toys and some children are raised less fortunate. If a child is raised in a household with more money and comes from a family that has succeeded in the past, chances are they are going to grow up successful no matter what they gender is.

Something I thought was interested that Steven pointed out was when he said, "There are reliable average differences in life priorities, in an interest in people versus things, in risk-seeking, in spatial transformations, in mathematical reasoning, and in variability in these traits". Everyone has their own life goals and priorities, it may be that women tend to have different life goals and priorities then men sometimes, but that dosen't mean men are taking on jobs because women cant do them. Another great line that Steven said was " there are very few jobs that actually require a penis or vagina, and all other jobs should be open to both sexes". After reading this passage and thinking back to my initial thoughts about men working in math and science fields and women not, I realized that isn't necessarily the case and I should have that view on careers. After all, I do have a friend who happens to be a girl and is currently a physics major and is looking to go to grad school for engineering once she graduates with a physics and math degree, and math happens to be a subject I hate the most.

Questions:
1. Are men and women really crafted into what they are today by the way they were raised and brought up?
2. Have men helped or hurt the view on women when it comes to people saying women don't have careers in math and science?