[Mid] Re: Math bashing - women and math

In a message dated 12/20/99 8:39:47 PM Central Standard Time,
sburnell@raex.com writes:

> there are still plenty of us who enter the traditional female
> professions of teacher, librarian, nurse, etc.

I had occasion, recently, to spend time with a good friend working on some
garb. As she was puzzling over a particularly poorly worded part of the
pattern, I took some time to study the drawings and instructions. I looked up
and said: ". . . so, how come they think women can't read blueprints?"

It was an honest question, because this sort of thing is a stereotype in our
current (and historic) culture. In my opinion, women are not only perfectly
able, but quite adroit at mathematics. The notion that "women cannot do math"
is nothing more than the perpetuation of an archaic notion that women are
inferior to men. It is one of the devices society at large uses to stratify
people. It has nothing to do with ability, or gender.

In service,
Kitel
From: KitelYngvarsson@aol.com
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Received on Mon Dec 20 23:32:10 1999