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Are White Women Less Capable at Math?
 

Addinator's picture
ST
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:12pm
j0431743.jpg

Have you ever wondered if your teacher simply didn’t think you were competent enough for a subject, even though your scores were decent? Well apparently if you are a white female this may be true.

"A 'subtle' but 'definitely present' tendency among high school teachers to deem their white female students less competent than white male students with similar grades and scores, and to consider them less comfortable in a particular math class, or to be less capable of advancing."

Personally, I have no idea whether this is true or not considering I haven’t really seen this in action. Obviously teachers have their own opinions of students and I’ve always been somewhat dubious of their ability to keep it out of the classroom. Honestly I’ve always noticed girls were pretty strong at math, or maybe I just gave them the benefit of the doubt. Who knows. So what do you guys think? Is this sort of profiling rampant throughout schools? Does it exist in other forms such as Asians should automatically be good at math etc? Has anyone on here experienced this firsthand?

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Husky32's picture

Don't think so man, it all

(Gorilla, 588
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:14pm

Don't think so man, it all depends how dedicated you are and guys care more about stuff like math as opposed to girls who basically only care about social status/popularity/dating rich and popular guys

streetwannabe's picture

I think girls are just less

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:19pm

I think girls are just less inclined to try and learn math. I know some smart girls, but not that many who are great at math. Also, naturally speaking I don't think they are as good. Maybe they earn higher marks due to dedication, but I feel like men are more intuitive when it comes to math.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

illiniPride's picture

Stereotypes exist for a

IB
(King Kong, 1,099
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:30pm

Stereotypes exist for a reason, but they can cause hell for the outliers.

Leadership can be defined in two words: "Follow Me"

EngBanker's picture

streetwannabe wrote: I think

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:34pm
streetwannabe:

I think girls are just less inclined to try and learn math.

Agreed. I don't think it's a cause and effective relationship. Unless I see a comprehensive study done I wouldn't say it's a genetic thing. Some things are genetic though. For example driving. I think it was a Yale study (could be wrong on this) that showed that women have a weaker spatial perception compared to men which translates to poor driving.

she_monkey's picture

I see this was posted at

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:37pm

I see this was posted at 9:12pm.

Giving it another hour before the thread explodes.

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blastoise's picture

ima a guy and had a professor

O
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:40pm

ima a guy and had a professor say to me "you'll never make it in this major", 3 years latter I can solve ~30% of the putman problems within an hour

and yes ~30% is good for a state school kid

swagon's picture

blastoise wrote: ima a guy

EN
(Neanderthal, 2,970
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:44pm
blastoise:

ima a guy and had a professor say to me "you'll never make it in this major", 3 years latter I can solve ~30% of the putman problems within an hour

and yes ~30% is good for a state school kid

haters gonna hate

blastoise's picture

even if you don't solve it

O
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:47pm


even if you don't solve it you will learn a shit load of things and recall some things you may have forgotten,whish they would post answers though

syntheticshit's picture

.

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:55pm

.

streetwannabe's picture

EngBanker

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 9:54pm
EngBanker:
streetwannabe:

I think girls are just less inclined to try and learn math.

Agreed. I don't think it's a cause and effective relationship. Unless I see a comprehensive study done I wouldn't say it's a genetic thing. Some things are genetic though. For example driving. I think it was a Yale study (could be wrong on this) that showed that women have a weaker spatial perception compared to men which translates to poor driving.

Not that this is a comprehensive or viable comparison; (unless you can actually think of more than I can)but how many famous women mathematicians/economists/physicists/etc can you name in comparison to their male counterparts? Now maybe you'll say this is due to a society that largely ignores these great women of science, but I believe that the male population of scientists is just more successful and has had better endeavors in their field. There are many great women writers/poets etc, so I don't think that sexism is a rebuttal as to why women aren't as prominent in the field of mathematical science.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

UFOinsider's picture

illiniPride

O
(Human, 10,300
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:09pm
illiniPride:

Stereotypes exist for a reason, but they can cause hell for the outliers.

YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...

triplectz's picture

Asian-American women excel in

IB
(Gorilla, 550
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:16pm

Asian-American women excel in math-related fields, and have not faced the "women can't do math" stereotype. This seems to indicate that American women's perceived inferiority is culture-based, not sex-based. Unless you're going to argue that Asians are somehow genetically superior at academics, which has not held up in any statistical study that controls for parental education or wealth-related variables.

Most American universities only started admitted women for full-time, legitimate educations maybe 50, 60 years ago. And women were told, perhaps even until the mid-80s, that they were "bad at math" and shouldn't bother to try. That's hardly an environment likely to generate top-flight female physicists, engineers, and mathematicians. Then consider if said woman, by some miracle, got into a PhD program. All the men around her would question her capabilities, her professors would attribute any mistake to a lack of inherent talent...it's no wonder there haven't been very many women physicists.

EngBanker's picture

streetwannabe wrote: Not that

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:21pm
streetwannabe:

Not that this is a comprehensive or viable comparison; (unless you can actually think of more than I can)but how many famous women mathematicians/economists/physicists/etc can you name in comparison to their male counterparts? Now maybe you'll say this is due to a society that largely ignores these great women of science, but I believe that the male population of scientists is just more successful and has had better endeavors in their field. There are many great women writers/poets etc, so I don't think that sexism is a rebuttal as to why women aren't as prominent in the field of mathematical science.

I find that men tend to be a lot more single dimensional which helps in being more committed to what they do.

Without studies it's difficult to say what's what. I do find it interesting that when you get to TOP of any field, you usually find more men than women. Again, I don't know if that's a drive and commitment difference or something else.
Top chefs: men. Top hair stylists: men. Top fashion gurus: men. list goes on

I don't think the reason is abilities though. It must be social circumstances/pressures...

EngBanker's picture

triplectz wrote: Then

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:23pm
triplectz:

Then consider if said woman, by some miracle, got into a PhD program. All the men around her would question her capabilities, her professors would attribute any mistake to a lack of inherent talent...it's no wonder there haven't been very many women physicists.

This is very true. Another issue for women is lack of role models, which is very important in academic fields. I personally know 2 very brilliant women who stopped their academic careers because they felt outnumbered in their fields and not appreciated.

tiger90's picture

I thought this was only true

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:25pm

I thought this was only true in the south?

streetwannabe's picture

@tiger90 US is the south

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:29pm

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

PetEng's picture

streetwannabe wrote: @tiger90

O
(Gorilla, 746
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:35pm
tiger90's picture

I was just trying to make a

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:36pm
PetEng's picture

Men are far more interested

O
(Gorilla, 746
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:40pm
streetwannabe's picture

Haha, mistaken for other

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:42pm

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

tiger90's picture

@street, are you French by

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:43pm
streetwannabe's picture

tiger90 wrote: @street, are

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:47pm

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

tiger90's picture

I was wondering where the

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:49pm
streetwannabe's picture

I'm actually from a red state

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 10:53pm

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

melvvvar's picture

on average men are better at

(King Kong, 1,693
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 11:12pm
JDawg's picture

I'm echoing what someone else

(Gorilla, 516
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 11:17pm
BTbanker's picture

melvvvar wrote: on average

IB
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 11:16pm

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

streetwannabe's picture

Connor wrote: melvvvar

(King Kong, 1,316
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 11:19pm

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."

tiger90's picture

I have a buddy who moved to

 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 11:27pm
BTbanker's picture

streetwannabe wrote: Connor

IB
 
Points)
 on 4/16/12 at 11:30pm

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

melvvvar's picture

melvvvar wrote: on average

(King Kong, 1,693
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 12:08am
zira's picture

This is just a social

 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 7:49am

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it" - Voltaire

duffmt6's picture

My gf is a white female and

IB
(Neanderthal, 2,304
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 9:13am

"Social cohesion and puritanical morality place roughly on my list of concerns between whether I'll pick up jock itch at the gym this week (not likely, since I don't go the gym) and whether it'll rain in Christchurch, New Zealand next Tuesday."
-Eddie

UFOinsider's picture

duffmt6 wrote: Despite her

O
(Human, 10,300
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 9:42am

YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...

UFOinsider's picture

zira wrote: This is just a

O
(Human, 10,300
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 9:46am

YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...

FinancialNoviceII's picture

These studies are such

CS
(Neanderthal, 2,460
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 6:32pm
PetEng's picture

FinancialNoviceII: These

O
(Gorilla, 746
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 8:47pm
Cola Coca's picture

Men have a wider distribution

O
(Orangutan, 321
 
Points)
 on 4/17/12 at 9:05pm
blastoise's picture

zira: This is just a social

O
 
Points)
 on 4/18/12 at 12:50am
BTbanker's picture

yes

IB
 
Points)
 on 4/18/12 at 1:09am

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

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