Where Have All the Women (Students) Gone?

 

In Where are the Girl Geeks, Mindell Jacobs writes:

The greater freedom of educational choice women enjoy in rich countries has had the ironic consequence of keeping women in so-called pink-collar ghettos, says a U.S. sociologist.

In response to women's perceived interests, modern societies have diversified their curriculums and set up niche programs for women, says Maria Charles, a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

She cites early-childhood education programs as one example of courses targeting women.

"When we emphasize choice and hold up self-realization as an educational goal, girls will often freely choose poorly paid, female-typed fields of study that are in line with a conventional feminine identity," she says.

"Ironically, the modernization of these educational systems is associated with greater opportunities for women to segregate themselves."

I was surprised by this finding, but it highlights something I've been thinking for a long time: this crap about doing what you love for a living only works when the job you love pays the bills. We need to start telling people do what pays the bills and think about what you love as a hobby.

[snip]

The difference in male-to-female ratios varies widely, depending on the country and, curiously, the more economically developed nations do not produce the most female computer-science grads.

You would think that in North America, where the women's liberation movement has been strongest, there would be more females in this typically male field.

In fact, there is more of a gender balance among computer science grads in Turkey and South Korea than in the U.S. (There were no specific figures for Canada.)

Maybe people in those countries don't spout off about doing what feels good your entire freaking life and are not afraid of a little challenge.

[snip]

One solution would be to require high school students to study more math and science, she says.

The countries with the best female representation in computer science require substantial math and science coursework, she notes.

As girls and boys get older, the power of stereotypes to influence their career choices weakens, she adds.

"We should push off choice until later."

I was forced to take 5 classes of English in high school but only 2 science classes were mandatory and I think only 1 or 2 math classes. By the time people were done high school if they gave up on math and/or science when they were basically kids, they find their choices far more limited. I agree we should balance out the classes and force teenagers to take more math and science. What doesn't kill them makes them stronger.