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On 14 January 2005,
On 14 January 2005,
Lawrence Summers(right), president of Harvard University
spokeof the reasons behind the disproportionate lack of women in top-end
science and engineering jobs. Avoiding suggestions of discrimination, he
offered two explanations – unwillingness to commit to the 80-hour weeks
needed for top level positions and, more controversially, a lower “intrinsic
aptitude” for the fields. According to Summers, research showed that genetic
differences between the sexes led to a “different availability of aptitude
at the high end”.
For years, scientists have battled over the evidence for sex differences in scientific ability, using genetics, psychology and social sciences as their weapons. But often, they forget that this debate does not rage on in isolation – it is heard and processed by scores of young female scientists trying to make their mark in the field. A year after Summers’ incendiary remarks, a psychological study showed just how pernicious comments like these can be on this group of listeners.
Stereotypes famously reinforce themselves because people respond to them by acting out the stereotype. Black Americans perform worse in...
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