<p>It's kind of hard to make a judgment here because there are no actual excerpts from the speech itself, just paraphrases. But I agree with you, yemaya: "The truck anecdote does not support his theory at all- it just makes him seem dumb. How are trucks/dolls preferences at all related to women in science?!" Gotta love people who make generalizations about all of humanity based on one example -- THAT is what I call not understanding science.</p>
<p>Thank goodness I can only name 20-39 women off the top of my head who've made major contributions to science or I'd think this guy was completely off his rocker.</p>
<p>TOL, girls start getting systematically led away from math/science very early, very pervasively, very consistently. Everything from the doll that said, "Math is too hard!" (or whatever it said) to the middle school era of dumbing themselves down relative to the boys. It becomes "uncool" to be interested in Math. Girls, much more than boys, are likely to be steered away from more challenging math or science courses by parents or even counselors (why do you want to take something so hard?). Yes, there are a fair number of girls in math & science these days...they're the salmon that have swum upstream.</p>
<p>There are some very interesting posts relating to this in the parents' forum. One point of interest is that women HAVE in fact made many significant contributions to science (Rosalind Franklin and DNA for example), but many are not recognized as much or as well known as men in the field of science.</p>
<p>I think that the defense of Larry Summers' comments that there are many more men in science cannot prove that the under-representation of women in the field is caused by genetic differences. Just fifty years ago, it was almost unthinkable for women to become doctors or lawyers. Eventually, if stereotypes are dissolved, there many be a fairly equal ration of men to women in science related fields. There are many factors that could be affecting that gender breakup in scientific careers other than genetic makeup.</p>
<p>Summers' statement: <a href="http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2005/womeninscience.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2005/womeninscience.html</a></p>
<p>Oh my god, you mean women and men are different. This is political correctness at its finest. Whats next are they going to argue that men and women are equal athletically. Oh wait...</p>
<p>
Personally, I feel it is cultural and societal pressure that often pushes men into math/sciences/engineering and women into the humanities.
</p>
<p>Don't you see that what you just said is as opinionated and biased (if you choose to view it that way) as what Summers said? It's personal opinion. While I am suprised that a person could advance to the level he has with beliefs like that (considering the atmosphere of political correctness), it's still just a personal opinion that doesn't necessarily scientific validity. That applies equally to both sides of the issue.</p>
<p>I've wondered myself which side to come down on in this issue and if anybody can show me some research that would be great.</p>
<p>birdofprey - however, i am not the president of the most prestigious university in the world. I could express as much of the opinion as I feel simply because I will not be scutinized for it. However, as the president of Harvard, it could do some damage to the school's rep.</p>
<p>This may seem off-topic at first, but you'll realize why I'm quoting from this New York Times article on Tourette's syndrome when we get down the last sentence of paragraph 4:</p>
<p>"Dr. Zinner adds that the tics of Tourette's 'range widely in their severity, form, frequency and intensity' and are associated with other disorders that 'are usually more serious or disabling than the tics themselves.' These may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, learning disabilities, anxiety or mood disorders and difficulty sleeping.</p>
<p>"These associated problems are often what first brings the problem to medical attention and may result in doctors' overlooking the underlying tic disorder.</p>
<p>"The disorder was first medically described in 1885 by the French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette. But until the 1960's it, like other conditions later found to have neurological bases, was incorrectly viewed as a psychological problem. Psychotherapy cannot cure it and, despite what doctors and therapists sometimes tell parents of patients, people do not outgrow it.</p>
<p>"Dr. Zinner says the disorder is far more common than is generally recognized, even by the Tourette Syndrome Association, which estimates that 1 person in 2,000 is affected. Rather, recent studies suggest that the real number of those with chronic tics is more like 1 in 100, suggesting that 750,000 children in this country have Tourette's. The disorder affects four times as many boys as girls and often runs in families."</p>
<p>I recognize that there are social pressures that may influence the decisions of female students to shy away from the hard sciences and math. But I don't think it's fair to lambaste Pres. Summers for suggesting we should consider whether other factors besides discrimination and social pressures may account for some of disparity in the numbers of men and women in science and engineering. After all, I don't hear anyone rushing to claim that Tourette's is more common in males because society is more tolerant of swearing in males.</p>