![\"menvswomen\"](\"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/fyswns3\/files\/2015\/09\/menvswomen.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe first few paragraphs are focused on Kimura calling into question the entire basis of the argument. She asks why having less women than men in a certain field is even a problem, reasoning that there are less men than women in quite a few fields, like nursing and education, and no one seems concerned. She then calls upon many studies to show that women and men have different strengths, and implies that each sex has innate characteristics decided from birth. Men, for example, excel in spatial skills, while women excel in verbal memory. These characteristics come from prenatal and present sex hormones, and can help determine which field one chooses.<\/p>\n
I have seen studies like these before and used to accept the differences between the two sex\u2019s strengths. However, after seeing studies in the \u201cWhy So Few?\u201d PowerPoint (slide 29) that state \u201cspatial skills are not innate and can be improved with training,\u201d I\u2019m not sure which side to believe. What I am sure of, however, is that if these differences do exist, they are not a reason women should not choose STEM fields. In fact, I believe the very diversity in our perspectives is a reason women SHOULD become more involved. It is a known fact that diversity is beneficial in problem-solving, because more perspectives lead to additional and enhanced solutions. Whether or not men and women\u2019s brains are different, it would be beneficial to have more women participating in STEM careers. Similarly, I\u2019m sure there is a benefit to having men in women-dominated fields as well.<\/p>\n
Kimura then decides to tangent off and explain the contradiction of girls\u2019 overall higher STEM grades and boys\u2019 surpassing test scores. She claims that this proves boys\u2019 superior aptitude, despite girls having better general achievement. Here is where, in my opinion, Kimura\u2019s argument takes a slippery slope. Just because men test better does not prove that they are better at math and science. In the first few weeks of this course, we have explored a host of reasons girls may not test as well, including gender bias and the incremental and entity theories mentioned in my last blog post. Kimura completely disregarded the overwhelming amount of research I have seen concerning this issue, which made her argument much less credible.<\/p>\n
By-far, the most striking language Kimura uses in her essay comes in the last few paragraphs. She brings up the tendency of women being in secretarial positions and ties this into their supposed strengths over men in finger dexterity and verbal memory. She says that while tradition may have an impact in this trend, \u201ctraditions have to arise somehow.\u201d She also finds scholarships specifically for women a \u201cflagrant injustice\u201d to men because they are just as qualified. It seems to me that Kimura has forgotten the struggle-filled and progressive history of women in the workplace, especially in the past century. She doesn\u2019t consider that maybe women traditionally became secretaries because anything more involved was considered \u201cmen\u2019s work,\u201d and because women were expected to focus on raising their families.<\/p>\n
I feel that Kimura has succeeded in demeaning a very relevant and important issue of today: the lack of women in STEM fields. It is usually beneficial\u00a0to see the opposing side of topics, but some of Kimura’s questionable\u00a0conclusions make it extremely difficult to concede.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Image:\u00a0https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/mpr\/mpr\/p\/2\/005\/02e\/057\/1fb1835.jpg<\/p>\n
PowerPoint:\u00a0http:\/\/www.aauw.org\/resource\/why-so-few-women-in-stem-ppt-long\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Shannon Laughlin What if I told you that the lack of women\u2019s representation in science and mathematics wasn\u2019t a cause for concern? That the strange drop-off between girls\u2019 interest in science between high school and college shouldn\u2019t be a … Continue reading