Fixing gender
disparities
By Theresa Davis
Harvard President Larry Summers suggested at a National Bureau
of Economic Research conference in January that women aren’t
doing so well in science and engineering because they don’t
want to work all that hard and some of them aren’t as smart
as the guys. That’s neither exactly nor all of what he said,
but that’s what a lot of people came away with. He has been
apologizing ever since. I’m not sure that he should be.
While I don’t agree with what Summers said, I do think he
made a positive contribution to one of the most highly contentious
debates in today’s world, both within and without academia.
He invited everyone to make an intelligent analysis of an important
social question. It is, therefore, unfortunate that numerous members
of the academic community disparaged him for verbalizing a philosophical
position — never mind how absurd it might have been.
Still, the shrill cry of moral outrage ensuing his remarks was cathartic
in a sense, reassuring us that this country has no tolerance for
any form of discrimination. But the reaction hasn’t been terribly
productive for the same reason that it’s unproductive, for
example, to cry racism whenever someone broaches a serious discussion
of why a disproportionate number of African-American males are behind
bars. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not equating the
two issues. I’m suggesting that our response to them comes
from the same fearful place, the fear that the problem is too big,
that the horrible stereotype will be confirmed. In the meantime,
important questions go unanswered, vital problems remain unsolved.
Nobody should live in fear of reprisal for putting a relevant question
on the table. There is, after all, probably a kernel of truth in
some of Summers’ hypotheses. Part of the problem he raised
may be systemic: Are the measures of women’s success reasonable
enough to allow for fulfillment at home as well as in the academy?
Do new female faculty receive the same quality of mentoring available
to their male counterparts?
Let’s also consider that there are biological differences
between men and women and that perhaps we should look at when and
how we teach science to girls at the K-12 level. This was brilliantly
addressed in a March 7 Time magazine article titled, “Who
Says a Woman Can’t Be Einstein?” Without prejudice,
the article illustrates research regarding gender differences in
the brain, including how certain regions of the organ mature at
different times in boys and girls. If a young girl tests poorly
in mechanical reasoning before she has developed the aptitude for
it, the article suggests, she may resist learning the strong math
skills she’ll need later for success in science.
We have been trying to recruit and retain talented female scientists
to the academy for at least the last 20 years that I have been in
higher education. Not to oversimplify, but it is nothing more than
a real-life problem to be solved. Some of the most brilliant minds
in the country are at our universities and colleges. Let’s
put them to use in asking the hard questions and instituting effective
policies that will put this baby to bed once and for all.
Davis is senior director of development for the basic
sciences.
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