Lack of Ability Doesn't Explain Why Women Decide to Opt Out of Math-Intensive Careers

March 25, 2009

Women don't choose careers in mathematics, computer science, and other math-intensive fields because they want the flexibility to raise children or prefer to pursue fields of science that are less math-intensive, not because they lack mathematical ability, according to a new study.

"A major reason explaining why women are underrepresented not only in math-intensive fields but also in senior leadership positions in most fields is that many women choose to have children," said Stephen J. Ceci of Cornell University. "The timing of childrearing coincides with the most demanding periods of their career, such as trying to get tenure or working exorbitant hours to get promoted."

This finding appears in "Women's Underrepresentation in Science: Sociocultural and Biological Considerations," a 44-page paper in the February Psychological Bulletin. The study, by Ceci and Cornell colleagues Wendy M. Williams and Susan M. Barnett, is an analysis of 35 years of research on sex differences in math.

The authors concluded that findings reflecting social and cultural effects of sex differences were inconsistent and inconclusive; and evidence of gender discrimination was dated and anecdotal, failing to account for women's lower numbers in math-intensive fields.

"Even though institutional barriers and discrimination exist, these influences still cannot explain why women are not entering or staying in STEM careers," Ceci argued. Instead, "career preferences and lifestyle needs largely dictate why women aren't choosing physics or engineering as their profession."

Women with extensive mathematical skills choose non-math fields as careers more often than males with similar abilities, and they are more likely to drop out before advancing because of the need for flexibility and the demands of parenting and caregiving, Williams noted. "These are choices that all women, but almost no men, are forced to make," she said.

At the same time, "hormonal, brain, and other biological sex differences did not emerge as primary factors explaining why women were underrepresented in science careers," Barnett observed.

The evidence implies that if math ability were solely a function of sex, "women would comprise 33 percent of the professorships in math-intensive fields if it was based solely on being in the top 1 percent of math ability," Ceci said. Women currently comprise less than 10 percent.

"It appears that the family-career trade-offs constitute a major factor in the dearth of women in fields such as engineering, physics, computer science, and in higher-level positions in non math-related fields," Ceci said. "Women who are good in math seem to have more career options. Those who are highly competent in math are more likely than men to have high verbal competence, too, thus opening up the option of going into the humanities or law, which may offer more flexibility in their career tracks."

To redress the imbalance, the researchers suggested that universities, for example, could offer deferred start-up of tenure-track positions and part-time work for women raising children; and that they provide courtesy appointments for those who would benefit from the use of university resources—e-mail, library resources, grant support, and so on—to do research at home.

Source: American Psychological Association, March 3, 2009.