Education News – Grace Smith
“Several theories exist about why women are underrepresented in math and science jobs. Parents and toy-makers discourage girls from studying the two subjects, as do teachers…The lack of role-models for girls in those fields has girls growing up thinking they would not succeed in them. A study published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which has pointed out that teachers have unconscious biases, has shown how powerful a bit of encouragement can be. It posits that early education experiences can influence success in math and science courses that students later choose, and ultimately can effect the jobs they get and the size of their salaries. The effect becomes more dramatic when families have a more educated father then mother and for girls from lower-income families, says the study. Many of the fastest growing and highest paying fields, like computer science and engineering, could be entered by girls if teachers could reverse their feelings that boys alone should fill these professions.”(more)