There are countless studies trying to “prove” that men and women are inherently different and it makes me sick, ’cause I know that both groups have been socialized differently in order to create such a difference.

This article is good though, ’cause it states:

<i>a large-scale study led by psychologist Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, found a “trivial” gap in math test scores between boys and girls in elementary and middle school.</i>

Not surprised…

I used to be crap at math, I’m now good at it now though.

Ann Gallagher in the report said ‘the boys tend to be a little more idosyncratic in solving problems, the girls more conservative in following what they’ve been taught.’   I can see this comment being used to claim ‘ah but this shows girls are incapable of independent thought since all they can do is repeat what they have been taught. Maths is about solving problems yet girls are incapable of solving problems because they can only take in information and not analyse it whereas boys use their reasoning powers.’    No matter how much evidence is produced there will continue to be claims that girls are not capable of undertaking maths because their brains are female ones, whereas boys brains are ‘male.’ 

On no account must we investigate or analyse how gender socialisation operates wherein girls are actively discouraged from using their minds because no one likes a ‘girl who is cleverer than a boy.’  Perhaps this explains why so many girls are adopting a ‘conservative’ approach, because being ‘intelligent is still seen as unfeminine.’

I’ve often thought that men put up a lot of blocks to keep women from these very well paid professions.  The very worst sexism still exists in the financial world.  Since I got hired at my compnay awhile ago, no other women have succeeded in my office, but men who have been hired have.  90% of the planners in our company are men. 

Being a radical lesbian armed with Mary Daly analysis, I have low expectations and don’t bother with the sexists.  But I can focus on markets my male colleagues have no access to and no clue about, and that’s where the opportunity lies.

Math is the great equalizer.  Men have a very hard time with dissing you if your numbers are up there.  So women need to know, that armed with a calculator, they are invinceable.

This article was much need evidense of the truth, and yes, take that Larry Summers!!  Kicked his butt good, yes we math / science women did!!

In the UK, this has *apparently* led to some sort of “educational crisis” whereby they must fix the problem of boys ‘underperforming’ (IOW, being beaten by girls).

I cannot raise much sympathy for the current ‘crisis’, as there was never a ‘crisis’ declared in the last few hundred years when girls were held back, either in specific areas or education generally.

Even when I was in mixed-sexed classes, I was always the top or in the top group in maths. And that was back in the days of the old belief that maths was a ‘male’ subject.