Quote:
Originally Posted by timb
Your line seems to be well, yes, there may be a difference but it's silly to talk about it so please shut-up. I wonder if you appreciate that the next stage of KenG's co-ideologues after observing 1(c) is typically to demand that affirmative measures be taken to equalize the number of male and female mathematicians.
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No. What I said is that it is a bit silly to talk about this purported difference because:
1. Neither the nature of the difference nor the basis for the assertion of a difference has been well defined. It is a bit silly to debate differences without defining those differences or providing a basis to determine if they exist.
2. At a high level of mathematical ability the women who engage in mathematics research are quite able to hold their own.
3. Measures of mathematical ability typically quoted in the popular press are at such a low level as to be meaningless for serious scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
I am not aware of any serious charges of discrimination in the workplace against female mathematicians. My experience is that mathematicians are generally evaluated on the basis of their research and not on the basis of their plumbing.
If there is a difference, and I am not inclined to believe that there is a significant difference, then it is not manifested within the mathematics community. I have not seen it in the wider technical community either. Women mathematicians with whom I have been associated have been quite competent. Women engineers with whom I have been associated have also been the equal of men (in many cases they were a bit better).
This thread has thus far been focused on reality and not on political implications. It would be a shame to change that. Affirmative action would not be a good topic for a science forum.
You don't have to worry about what I understand. I have quite a bit of experience in the big wide world.