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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday September 07 2017, @09:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the doesn't-stem-student's-interest dept.

Research into the obvious, but someone has finally done it: Three women researchers have studied the behavior of undergraduates in STEM fields, and concluded that there basically is no problem. From the abstract:

"The results show that high school academic preparation, faculty gender composition, and major returns have little effect on major switching behaviors, and that women and men are equally likely to change their major in response to poor grades in major-related courses. Moreover, women in male-dominated majors do not exhibit different patterns of switching behaviors relative to their male colleagues."

Furthermore current recruitment efforts to attract more women tend to be counterproductive. In an interview, the primary author says:

"Society keeps telling us that STEM fields are masculine fields, that we need to increase the participation of women in STEM fields, but that kind of sends a signal that it's not a field for women, and it kind of works against keeping women in these fields."

One of our female students told me that the women are interviewed endlessly, for one project or another: "tell us about your experience", "are you doing ok", "have you experienced sexism", and on, and on. That alone is enough to make them question their career choice.


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  • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by kurenai.tsubasa on Friday September 08 2017, @12:19AM (6 children)

    by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Friday September 08 2017, @12:19AM (#564850) Journal

    You go, girl! Get the boys primed for the next round of the misogynerd narrative!

    I can't believe those saps still think that the misogynerd narrative is authentic or in any way reflective of reality! Can you hear those dumb boys breathing a sigh of relief, thinking this is somehow going to deter feminism from continuing to slander and libel an entire demographic of 3.5 billion people? We'll just bring out the giftpil^Wpoisoned M&M^WSchrödinger thing if they go all #notallmen again. How the fuck did they miss that it was Nazi propaganda when we did it?! Twice!!! Haha, that was great when it blew up in that Trump kid's face! (Skittles even, lol.)

    Can you believe the white knight corp still honestly believes the whole sexual harassment thing?! Dorks!

    Next Tuesday is the next drop, right?

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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 08 2017, @03:22AM (5 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday September 08 2017, @03:22AM (#564917) Journal

    Kurenai, there is enough prevalence of rapey men out there that the Skittles thing becomes an unfortunately useful metaphor. This is reality for every woman. I *still* cross the street at night if I'm alone and see guys most of the time, and I'm taller than almost all of them and probably as heavy as 1/4 or 1/3 of them at least.

    The difference between when the Nazis were using it vs. this example is that 1) there is far more basis in reality, 2) we have the data to back it up, and 3) it is not coming from a position of strength or advantage.

    This is a nasty thing to say, but it needs to be said: this constant fallacious overgeneralization makes you look awful, and as unfair as this is, it makes MtFs everywhere look bad. Every goddamn time I come on here and see this I have to remind you that most feminists, let alone most women in general, aren't TERFs. You get nowhere with this and you only shore up the unfortunate stereotype of early-stage transwomen as mentally unstable drama magnets.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @11:16AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @11:16AM (#565017)

      > I *still* cross the street at night if I'm alone and see guys most of the time, and I'm taller than almost all of them and probably as heavy as 1/4 or 1/3 of them at least.

      Likewise, but I'm male.

      Possibly has something to do with someone hitting me in the throat with their arm as I jogged past a group of lads when I was younger (~13/14 years old).

      • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday September 08 2017, @02:38PM (1 child)

        by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday September 08 2017, @02:38PM (#565110)

        How about that jogger in London who pushed a woman in front of a bus recently? Men just aren't safe to be around. I can see why a woman alone would want to avoid getting to close to random men in public. I wonder if this also has something to do with how, when you're a man and single, women in public avoid looking at you, and basically treat you as a creep, but when you're walking around with a girlfriend, their demeanor totally changes and they readily look you in the eye.

    • (Score: 2) by chromas on Saturday September 09 2017, @09:37AM (1 child)

      by chromas (34) Subscriber Badge on Saturday September 09 2017, @09:37AM (#565563) Journal

      Schrödinger's Skittle

      Oh sure, but when you apply it to economic migrants it's suddenly racis.

      • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday September 11 2017, @06:45PM

        by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Monday September 11 2017, @06:45PM (#566318) Journal

        It is racist, but it also happens to be true...just to a far, FAR lower extent than with the rape statistics when the cohort in question is "has a Y chromosome." I'm not a popular person for this, but I believe most stereotypes have some basis in truth.

        --
        I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...