"Why So Few" Academic Review

Look at the chart “Women in Selected STEM Occupations, 2008.” How does the chart support what the article states about the disproportionate number of men to women working in STEM careers ?

• There are more men working in most STEM careers than women.

• The number of women entering STEM careers is increasing over time.

• Women are becoming less interested in STEM careers as educational practices improve.

• Women are less interested in STEM careers because of biological disadvantages.

What does the chart “Women in Selected STEM Occupations” convey that the article does not?

• There are fewer women in STEM careers than men.

• There are more women working as Biological Scientists than men.

• Women are more likely to join STEM careers when encouraged by their parents.

• Women tend to score lower on math and science exams than men.

Look at the chart “Average Scores on Advanced Placement Tests...” Then read the excerpt below.

Does the stereotype that boys are better than girls in math and science still affect girls today? Research profiled in this report shows that negative stereotypes about girls’ abilities in math can indeed measurably lower girls’ test performance. Researchers also believe that stereotypes can lower girls’ aspirations for science and engineering careers over time.

How does the visual of the chart impact the reader's understanding of the excerpt?

• It illustrates the difference in ability between boys and girls to understand math and science.

• It supports the idea that negative stereotypes may still affect girls’ ability to perform on math and science exams.

• It provides detail on why girls tend to score lower on math and science exams than boys.

• It highlights the biological differences that exist between boys and girls.

Read the excerpt below.

Thirty years ago, Hugh, then head of Harvard’s Mathematics Department stated “a 700 on the SAT math exam is considered mathematically gifted, and there are 13 boys who score above that for every one girl, so clearly a genetic role is at play in why so few women pursue this field.”

Which of the following viewpoints does Hugh’s statement best support?

• It is societal expectations rather than genetics that limit the number of women in STEM careers.

• Women are incredibly interested in STEM careers but are disproportionately discriminated against during the hiring process.

• Genetic differences play a role in why there are more men in STEM careers than women.

• Men tend to excel more in household duties like cooking and cleaning than in the workplace.

In paragraph 5, how does the author distinguish her point of view from that of David Stickubut?

• She states that women are, in fact, just as competitive as men.

• She explains that women are not as competitive because of societal expectations.

• She cites studies that show women are more motivated to succeed in subjects like math.

• She argues that women are not interested in outperforming men on tests.

Part A: Re-read the following excerpt from the text.

“In elementary, middle, and high school, girls and boys take math and science courses in roughly equal numbers, and about as many girls as boys leave high school prepared to pursue science and engineering majors in college. Unfortunately, fewer women than men pursue these majors."

What does this excerpt demonstrate about the author’s point of view?

• The author believes more women should pursue careers in science and math.

• The author believes STEM should remain a male-dominated field.

• The author believes that genetic disparities cause fewer women to take science and math courses in high school.

• The author believes that more women than men excel in STEM careers, making it to the top of their field.

Part B: Select one sentence from the excerpt in Part A that supports your response.

• “In elementary, middle, and high school, girls and boys take math and science courses in roughly equal numbers… "

• “...about as many girls as boys leave high school prepared to pursue science and engineering majors in college.

• “Unfortunately fewer women than men pursue these majors.”

• “Among first-year college students, women are much less likely than men to say they intend to major in STEM.”

Reread paragraph five of the article. What does the anecdote demonstrate about the author’s point of view? (RI2.6)

• Girls are often encouraged by teachers but still underperform boys.

• Girls are negatively impacted by the negative outlooks and expectations of others.

• Girls are more capable than boys but teachers often work against them.

• Girls are less capable than boys but teachers work harder to help them.