…people…are concerned about a persistent gender gap in college degrees in science, technology, engineering and math — STEM, for short. The notion that it might have to do with aptitude has long been dismissed. Yet research shows that girls who enjoy — and excel at — math and science in high school are less likely than boys to pursue a college major in those fields.
And even if they start college majoring in a STEM field, women are more likely than men to change majors, federal data show. Women make up 24% of STEM jobs, which offers some of the most lucrative careers, a Commerce Department report says. More than half of them have degrees in the physical and life sciences.
These articles are perennial and they perennially miss the point.
The reason why so few females are in these fields is the same as why so few males are in these fields: they are drudge-filled cul-de-sacs. Even among males who study engineering in college, only 30% actually go into engineering.
The real question is not why so many females don’t go into technology but why the few males who do, do.
As for most girls, here’s an excerpt from an article in today’s NYT that says it all:
Dressing well. Can’t wait to see the new Title IX regulations.