The Enigma Thread

[Edge]

Indeed there's still a bias about certain jobs having certain age/gender but I've noticed less and less "norms" anymore and a little more of a mixture.

 

[milagros317]

When I entered graduate school in 1972, only about 8% or 9% of the Ph.D. students in pure mathematics were women.
Almost 30 years later, at the turn of the millennium, it was up to 30%. But it has remained stuck there for the last 25 years.
I don't believe the cause is lack of quantitative ability. I believe it is cultural.

 

[kurchatovium]

Indeed there's still a bias about certain jobs having certain age/gender but I've noticed less and less "norms" anymore and a little more of a mixture.

Yes a little more mixture theses days. Guess I missed out on the hot chemistry girls.

 

[kurchatovium]

When I entered graduate school in 1972, only about 8% or 9% of the Ph.D. students in pure mathematics were women.
Almost 30 years later, at the turn of the millennium, it was up to 30%. But it has remained stuck there for the last 25 years.
I don't believe the cause is lack of quantitative ability. I believe it is cultural.

There is the illusion that people are not being forced out cause of gender or race. Of course sadly that does happen. Often is a just a matter of choice. Men and women like different things. A action film will likely have 60 to 70 percent men while a romantic comedy or musical will have like 70 percent women. Not everything in the world is sinister lol

 

[milagros317]

There is the illusion that people are not being forced out cause of gender or race. Of course sadly that does happen. Often is a just a matter of choice. Men and women like different things. A action film will likely have 60 to 70 percent men while a romantic comedy or musical will have like 70 percent women. Not everything in the world is sinister lol

Yes. Pure mathematics is like chess. Some women like it and some women are great at it, but most women don't want to put in the years of study to become the equivalent of a grand master. Why not? I am cynical enough to believe that it is because pure mathematics, like chess, doesn't pay very well.

 

[kurchatovium]

Yes. Pure mathematics is like chess. Some women like it and some women are great at it, but most women don't want to put in the years of study to become the equivalent of a grand master. Why not? I am cynical enough to believe that it is because pure mathematics, like chess, doesn't pay very well.

I see the same sorta stuff in chemistry. Women go more for biochemistry then physical chemistry. Both are difficult but in different ways. As for pay chemists and mathemetcians never earn what they should in my humble opinion lol

 

[milagros317]

Exactly. There are areas of applied mathematics, including computer science, which pay well. Maybe if I could send a message to myself at age 22, I would advise avoiding pure math. 😛

 

[kurchatovium]

Exactly. There are areas of applied mathematics, including computer science, which pay well. Maybe if I could send a message to myself at age 22, I would advise avoiding pure math. 😛

Amen to that my friend. Synthetic organic chemists get paid badly work long hours under dangerous conditions. Would have told my younger self FIND ANOTHER PROFESSION
Lol

 

[milagros317]

under dangerous conditions.

^^ That makes it worse than any job in mathematics.

 

[kurchatovium]

^^ That makes it worse than any job in mathematics.

I almost went into mathematics but they were a lot of strange profs at my school that liked to fail like over half the class. so I went to organic chemistry instead. Was strange I am the only organic chemist who took advanced mathematical physics and got an A in it.

All the sciences and math are hard. Everyone deserves more pay in my humble opinion.

 

[milagros317]

Sad to say, lots of difficult things don't pay well. This would include learning dead languages. (I had a colleague in Middle East Studies who told me that learning to read and translate ancient Aramaic took him three years and led to a few published papers. As we used to say, with a published paper and $1.50, you can ride on the subway. Subway fares have doubled since we used to say that. )

 

[kurchatovium]

Sad to say, lots of difficult things don't pay well. This would include learning dead languages. (I had a colleague in Middle East Studies who told me that learning to read and translate ancient Aramaic took him three years and led to a few published papers. As we used to say, with a published paper and $1.50, you can ride on the subway. Subway fares have doubled since we used to say that. )

Exactly right. Should have gone into acting where you can be as dumb as a bag of rocks and make millions. Sorry about your friend. I had a friend that translated Arabic for the military. He got paid poorlyi too. He use to answer arabic anti American graffiti in Arabic was really funny.