While liberals have long blamed sexism as the reason a majority of women choose careers outside of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, one professor is challenging that notion using evidence-based research.
Lee Jussim, Ph.D., a professor of social psychology at Rutgers University, conducted an extensive review of peer-reviewed research in the area of bias in STEM fields. After studying the results, he is pushing back on the notion that widespread gender discrimination exists in STEM occupations.
According to Jensen, many women choose to avoid STEM careers not because of discrimination, but because they possess other talents that they may wish to use in addition to their skills in math and science.
For example, a recent study of high school students found that 70 percent more girls than boys possessed strong math and verbal capabilities. However, researchers found that individuals who possessed both of these capabilities, regardless of whether they were male or female, were significantly less likely to be working in a STEM career at the age of 33 yeas, compared to those who only possessed strong math skills.
In other words, having strong math skills does not necessarily mean that a woman will ultimately choose to pursue a career in a STEM field. Roughly 40 percent of people who pursue a science major in college end up switching to another career because they become unhappy with their education.
Additionally, a separate study also found that women make up one third of American physicians. While that number is significantly lower than the number of male doctors, current medical school admissions data indicates that the percentages of male and female medical students are roughly 50/50, a remarkable increase from the 1970s when there were nine male medical students for every one female medical student.
Finally, Jussim notes that there are other careers in science that may not be classified as STEM but still require strong math and verbal skills, such as health, education, social and behavioral sciences, public administration, and arts and humanities. In these fields, women currently comprise 57 percent of all graduate students, which completely destroys the notion of any gender gap in graduate education.
At the end of the day, women are more likely than men to possess excellent math and verbal skills. A smart person will choose a career that makes them feel happy and fulfilled, whatever that may be, and it seems that many women are doing just that.
