| Catherine J. Weinberger
University of California, Santa Barbara
Allocation of a scarce resource: High math aptitude women in college and the labor market
FINAL REPORT:
Study 1: Mathematics Test Scores, Gender, and Undergraduate Participation in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science.
Mathematically able women are viewed by some as the largest untapped source of potential scientists and engineers. Others believe that gender differences in science and engineering participation result directly from gender differences in mathematical ability. This paper examines the relationships between mathematics test scores, sex and undergraduate participation in engineering, mathematics, computer science or physical sciences (EMS) for white men and women who completed high school in 1972, 1980 or 1992. For all cohorts and both sexes, we find the expected positive relationship between mathematics test scores and EMS participation. However, in each cohort, participation is about twice as high for white men as for white women with the same mathematics test score. We also find surprisingly low levels of participation, even among men and women with very high test scores. For example, of those with mathematics test scores above the 96th percentile, only 30% of white men and 16% of white women in the 1980 cohort pursued EMS degrees, while more than 30% of these exceptionally talented and prepared men and women completed no college degree at all. We conclude that the mathematical talent of women is particularly underutilized, but that there is an equally large pool of mathematically talented men who do not pursue EMS careers.
Study 2: What's the Difference? Characteristics of Mathematically Talented Men and Women Who Do Not Pursue College Degrees in Engineering, Mathematics or Science.
Large numbers of mathematically talented young men and women choose not to pursue careers in engineering, mathematics, computer science or physical sciences (EMS). This study describes observable differences between mathematically talented high school graduates who do and do not pursue bachelor's degrees in EMS. We find that mathematically talented young people with less educated parents are as likely as those with more educated parents to have the interest and desire to pursue an EMS degree, but are less likely to complete a college degree. Among mathematically talented men and women who do complete a college degree, those who complete EMS degrees are similar in psychological profiles and cognitive test scores to those of the same sex who complete degrees in other majors. The EMS graduates can be distinguished primarily by differences in pre-college interest and preparation in mathematics and science. We find, contrary to prevailing theories, that female EMS graduates do not have higher self-confidence, stronger work orientation, weaker family orientation, or lower planned or actual fertility than mathematically talented female college graduates with other majors. We do find strong evidence that role models affect the participation of mathematically talented women in EMS fields.
Study 3: The Economics of Mathematics Test Scores.
This short paper examines the relationship between high school mathematics test scores and later economic attainments. Detailed tables of the later occupational distributions of men and of women who had very high mathematics test scores in high school illustrate that strong mathematics test scores are no guarantee of later occupational attainment. Completion of a college degree is a much stronger predictor of occupational attainment than are high mathematics test scores. Other illustrative calculations show that while mathematics test scores and higher education are both correlated with later earnings, strong mathematics test scores alone do not predict higher earnings. For example, among white men who never enrolled in college, those with high mathematics test scores have no earnings advantage. By contrast, African American men and women who completed bachelorŐs degrees in engineering, mathematics, computer science or physical science (EMS) fields earned 35% more per hour than a subsample of white men with higher test scores who never enrolled in college. The findings of this paper suggest that efforts to provide improved mathematics preparation to high school students are much more likely to affect the economic prospects and future workplace productivity of the students if mathematics preparation is accompanied by the opportunity to complete a college education.
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