Girls Aren't Dumb (no shit)

Last week, the Associated Press reported that a recent University of Wisconsin study shows girls' math scores are now on par with those of boys, proving what most of us already knew. The study used data from over a million test scores in 10 different states with children grades 2 through 11. The concept of males having a natural or innate ability to understand the complexities of math and science is a long-standing myth that scientists and researchers can and will squash.

American men and women have long been socialized to believe that men can more easily excel in math. In 2005, many Harvard scholars were shocked and offended when their President, Lawrence Summers, stated that one of the reasons women do not hold higher positions in engineering and science fields is due to certain innate differences between the sexes. He later responded by stating that he does not believe "that women lack the ability to succeed at the highest levels of math & science."

This seems to be a very prevalent opinion: that women are capable of achieving the same status as men, but that in order to do so, they must overcome some natural cognitive handicap. Women are continually dumped into the weaker category.

Identifying these myths and attempts to make women feel inadequate obviously has serious social and psychological effects. In the past, girls have performed very well on math tests in elementary school, but scores have dropped off as they moved into high school. Many teachers and educators cling to the archaic notion of a natural male math ability, resulting in the discouragement and unequal treatment of girls in the classroom. Outside of the classroom as well, girls become socialized to think that boys "get math." (Barbie says "Math class is tough.")

Women need to recognize that indeed both sexes have brains- the same human brains. They both can perform well in all fields of study. Thus, we cannot be told that we are in any way cognitively inferior. As women (and men) come to realize this, we can assume that the negative effects of socialized "dumbness" will diminish.