K-12 Career Guidance: A Social Perspective

From SWE News April 2005: "I was flipping through the Sunday paper and came across a Q&A column in the Parade magazine where a reader commented on how her childhood friends had lost interest in science and technology by the time they entered high school. The writer, a woman, who claimed to be a research physicist, asked the columnist how often this happens and what can be done about this problem. The columnist, also a woman, replied by saying that it's not a problem unless the girls themselves have regrets later in life or if society believes these fields would greatly benefit from the presence of more women. She believed that girls become disenchanted as the subjects get harder, and that the aggressiveness that comes with testosterone could play a role in why boys pursue math and science. The article left us with the question: "Should society view the fact that women in the U.S. are underrepresented in the fields of math and science as a serious problem?" What do you think?"