Why do some people seem so threatened by the notion that there are sex-related, heritable differences in interests and aptitudes? Look at our closest cousins, the primates – all of them exhibit substantial differentiation in behavior between males and females. Look at the evolutionary history of Homo Sapiens – why would we expect that we have erased the evolutionary pressures that differentiate male and female behavior? See any number of Dawkins’ works, or Steven Pinker’s popular books for supporting evidence (quickly dons asbestos suit in anticipation of the Lewontin, Rose, and Gould apologists showing up en masse …).

None of this says that science and engineering are the exclusive province of males. No reasonable person denies that females have had major obstacles to overcome in access to many academic fields, and that such obstacles have often been in place from early childhood. No reasonable person fails to do what he/she can to erase those barriers, and looks forward to the day when those barriers no longer exist at all (and no reasonable person can deny that those barriers are today much less important than even 20 years ago). But no intellectually honest person can deny that, across statistically significant samples, sex is a significant factor in aptitude and interests. (Note that I did not say the major factor or the most significant factor, so build your strawmen on somebody else’s back, thank you very much.)

It’s great when girls / women do great at science. It’s great when boys / men do great at science; plenty of them got horribly abused in all levels of school for being “geeks”, “nerds”, or for people of color, “acting white” (see the work of the economist Roland Fryer about this). But what’s even better is when people get to pursue their dreams and do the stuff that really makes them happy, whether that leads to equal outcomes for the sexes in science and engineering or not!

Certainly women are achieving more, both in the sciences and humanities, and I’m not knocking that. Good for them. But I’m worried that at least part of the reason may also be that the guys of the current generation are slacking. I’m not sure why – the usual suspects of video games, poor role models, or what. But it’s worrisome.

Or rather, you should make some effort to discover the state of anthropological and sociological research in the fields of science and technology, and specifically the gender disparity therein, before you make unfounded claims based on articles you read on CNN or wherever.

Your claims about “interest” are predicated on a rather shakey argument:

1) Our interests are entirely or mostly determined by our gender, or by other genetic factors. This assumption is generally based on the stereotype that men are good with logic and tools, while women are good with emotions, language, and interpersonal relationships.

2) The process of knowledge-making was handed down by god or the universe or something, and should not be tampered with at all. Seemingly, it was perfectly designed for men and their logical, tool-loving minds, which is why there are so many men in science and so few women. To alter that would only be a detriment to science/an affront to god/whev.

2) Given #1 and # 2, women are less likely to do science because it overwhelmingly deals with logic and tools. Wait, hold on, ignore the report-writing, the client-meeting, the grant-funding, the shmoozing, and the grad-student-herding. Also ignore the fact that women are also under-represented in fields that require a tremendous amount of interpersonal relating, like politics and business.