Re: PSYCH: Women and Math

From: zeb haradon (zebharadon@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun Feb 25 2001 - 13:29:55 MST


>From: Ifrit <cp005g@mail.rochester.edu>

>
>"In mathematics, of the 1,085 recipients of Ph.D.'s in 1999 in the United
>States, only 10 were black, and only six of the black Ph.D.'s were women."
>
>means what percentage of black Ph.D. candidates in Math were
>women? Generally 60% is considered a majority not a minority...wonder
>what they were trying to get at here? The less than 1% black candidates
>strikes me as odd though. Is there any known genetic advantage caucasians
>have in mathematical/logic fields?
>
>Cory
>

To your last question, no. In fact, there's no genetic basis for race at
all. Skin color is genetically controlled obviously, but what I mean is that
there is no gross difference in the genomes between people of different
races on the same scale as the X/Y difference in gender. If you were to come
up with a genetic basis for race, you would have to come up with some very
complicated rules, like "people with Gene A but not Gene B or C are
considered this race, unless they have Gene D (but not E)". Race is
appearance based.
There are going to be cultural/economic advantages causasians might have in
these fields, but the gap is closing all the time, and I expect that before
my (natural) lifetime is over, it will be nonexistent.
I do not have exact figures but I know that largest contraction in this gap
occurred sometime in the 1980s. Keep in mind how long it takes to get a
Ph.D, you're looking that far back in the past.

---------------------------------------------------
Zeb Haradon (zebharadon@hotmail.com)
My personal webpage:
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so that he can stoop to the level of his attackers?" -Chris Russo

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