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> Girls also tended to register a lower interest in science subjects. These differences were near-universal across all the countries and regions studied. So gi

> Girls also tended to register a lower interest in science subjects. These differences were near-universal across all the countries and regions studied. So girls are less interested in these subjects, but in more unequal countries (read poorer) they do it for career prospects, while in more equal countries (read richer) they do what they want (not STEM subjects).

gedy 9y ago
No sure why you were down voted, it's a reasonable point that women have more economically viable career choices in countries with better gender equality.
- vinay427 9y ago
  It's also very similar to the point raised in the original article: > The researchers, from Leeds Beckett University and the University of Missouri, believe this might be because countries with less gender equality often have little welfare support, making the choice of a relatively high-paid STEM career more attractive.
friendly_chap 9y ago
I think that's a perfectly reasonable explanation (obv. not the only one though). The downvoters should explain themselves.
- TomMarius 9y ago
  Lately it's the fashion to just downvote.
yesenadam 9y ago
That sounds right to me. Anecdatally I've talked with a lot of latin American girls e.g. Colombians, who are studying engineering, (and busy with exams on maths and science subjects) who don't seem at all the type. I think it's an in-demand job with good prospects, where maybe there aren't so many competing career choices. (Interesting psychological study, why you're being downvoted for saying that. Maybe that people are nowadays conditioned to assume any talk of gender differences is sexism, I've noticed.)
gus_massa 9y ago
Alternative theory: In richer countries the family and friends force/pressure girls to do "girly" things and study a non STEM subject, but in poor countries they can do whatever is necessary for survival and can choose a better paying field, like STEM if they want. It's a difficult subject, because it's almost impossible to make a controlled experiment and distinguish which explanation is the correct one. (You can't get a million subject and create 10-20 isolated societies with a different level of resources and initial culture and measure the results 100 years later.) I also would like to see the correlation with the number of "stay at home moms". In some rich countries is common that after marriage / the first child the mom left the work. In poor countries it's more difficult and both parents must have a paying work. Why study a long career if you are not going to work too long in the field?
joshuamorton 9y ago
Do you know at what age they checked that? I've seen prior research that suggests that the disinterest in stem appears in middle or high school, and isn't statistically significant before then. This would heavily imply some level of social conditioning to be the cause for disinterest.
- srtjstjsj 9y ago
  What people say they like is one thing, but observing proclivities is another. In elementary schools, boys score higher in math and girls score higher in reading comprehension.
  - joshuamorton 9y ago
    A cursory look suggests that math aptitude starts at parity or near parity and grows over time, which doesn't necessarily disagree with either of us.
skocznymroczny 9y ago
Well, if they don't want to pursue STEM careers, perhaps we should respect their decisions? Meanwhile most big American companies are bent on having a 50/50 ratio in all job types on all levels.

gedy 9y ago

No sure why you were down voted, it's a reasonable point that women have more economically viable career choices in countries with better gender equality.

vinay427 9y ago
It's also very similar to the point raised in the original article: > The researchers, from Leeds Beckett University and the University of Missouri, believe this might be because countries with less gender equality often have little welfare support, making the choice of a relatively high-paid STEM career more attractive.

friendly_chap 9y ago

I think that's a perfectly reasonable explanation (obv. not the only one though). The downvoters should explain themselves.

TomMarius 9y ago
Lately it's the fashion to just downvote.

yesenadam 9y ago

That sounds right to me. Anecdatally I've talked with a lot of latin American girls e.g. Colombians, who are studying engineering, (and busy with exams on maths and science subjects) who don't seem at all the type. I think it's an in-demand job with good prospects, where maybe there aren't so many competing career choices. (Interesting psychological study, why you're being downvoted for saying that. Maybe that people are nowadays conditioned to assume any talk of gender differences is sexism, I've noticed.)

gus_massa 9y ago

Alternative theory: In richer countries the family and friends force/pressure girls to do "girly" things and study a non STEM subject, but in poor countries they can do whatever is necessary for survival and can choose a better paying field, like STEM if they want. It's a difficult subject, because it's almost impossible to make a controlled experiment and distinguish which explanation is the correct one. (You can't get a million subject and create 10-20 isolated societies with a different level of resources and initial culture and measure the results 100 years later.) I also would like to see the correlation with the number of "stay at home moms". In some rich countries is common that after marriage / the first child the mom left the work. In poor countries it's more difficult and both parents must have a paying work. Why study a long career if you are not going to work too long in the field?

joshuamorton 9y ago

Do you know at what age they checked that? I've seen prior research that suggests that the disinterest in stem appears in middle or high school, and isn't statistically significant before then. This would heavily imply some level of social conditioning to be the cause for disinterest.

srtjstjsj 9y ago
What people say they like is one thing, but observing proclivities is another. In elementary schools, boys score higher in math and girls score higher in reading comprehension.
- joshuamorton 9y ago
  A cursory look suggests that math aptitude starts at parity or near parity and grows over time, which doesn't necessarily disagree with either of us.

skocznymroczny 9y ago

Well, if they don't want to pursue STEM careers, perhaps we should respect their decisions? Meanwhile most big American companies are bent on having a 50/50 ratio in all job types on all levels.