Possibly one of the most idiotic assumptions of all time–namely, that men are innately better than women when it comes to math and science–has been shot down once again. This cultural belief has always baffled me, perhaps because I grew up with a sharp-as-a-tack mother working on both the quantitative and qualitative sides of marketing research. Any man who’s ever been completely shut down by a math class (Calc 3 and I didn’t get along) can attest to the absence of this supposed innate ability. A study has recently come out that shows–gasp–that it’s our culture, not the brains we were born with, that’s responsible for the gender gap in math.

Science Daily’s article about the findings reports:

“In the United States, girls at all grade levels now perform on a par with boys on the standardized mathematics tests required of all students. Moreover, U.S. girls are now taking calculus in high school at the same rate as boys, and the percentage of U.S. doctorates in the mathematical sciences awarded to women has climbed to 30 percent in the 21st century, up from a nadir of 5 percent in the 1950s.”

That’s music to my ears. While 30 percent doesn’t seem like much, the fact that it’s six times the 1950s’ number is encouraging.

Scientifically Succesful Women
Another recent study has shown that job and promotional prospects are improving for women in science and engineering. While the study did find salary disparities (come on, folks, we should be past this), comparable opportunities in these fields between men and women. The biggest factor in this recently closed gap: women on the hiring committees, which is more evidence of the sea change.

Sorry, Guys, We’re the Problem
Apparently, women perform better mathematically when men aren’t around. Not only that, but general interest in these subjects is directly affected by the father-daughter relationship. So, my fellow men, it’s become clear that we may not be the forward-thinkers we once believed ourselves to be. It’s up to us to stop any and all ignorant, troglodytic behavior right now. Science and math have teamed up to give our male-dominated past what for, and I, for one, am rather pleased about it.