I'm somewhat late to this thread; however, I think that comparing the number of female math professors to the number of women who earn undergraduate math degrees is not a valid comparison.
The correct comparison would be between the number of female math professors and the number of women who obtain advanced degrees in math. Most colleges and universities require a Ph.D. for appointment to professorial ranks.
Another point that should be considered is that the ratio of male to female secondary school teachers is now quite low - only about a third of secondary school teachers are male. Thus, many of the openings for secondary school math teachers now are filled by women who earn undergraduate degrees in math followed by a teaching credential.
Mark Shapiro
-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu on behalf of Michael Edmiston
Sent: Sat 6/3/2006 9:04 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Women Earn 46% of UndergraduateMathDegreesbutRepresent Only 8% of Math Professors ??
Responding to Tim Folkerts (message below)...
I intentionally did not assume a particular sex is better for child
rearing because I don't believe it. Although Tim is correct that the
female is the one who is pregnant and the one who can nurse the child,
these are not deciding factors. First, virtually all teaching
situations I am aware of (both HS and higher education) provide some
amount of maternity leave for the mother. Some even allow for the
father, such that both can be home for a few weeks. This should get you
through the end of the pregnancy and the first few weeks of child
rearing and recovery from pregnancy/delivery. At some point the father
can take over (if desired) and the mother can return to work. If this
happens before nursing is over, there are ways to get around that.
Many of the parents that feel it is necessary for a parent to stay home
with the child (as opposed to accepting day care) keep a parent at home
all the way until kindergarten. That's 4 or 5 years. Any time that
specifically has to be the mother is pretty short in comparison (perhaps
a couple months compared to 4 or 5 years).
Beyond the pregnancy and nursing I think it is incorrect to assume one
sex would be better than the other for child rearing. That does not
mean that for a given couple that they wouldn't have to go through the
process of deciding who wants to stay home... because I certainly don't
think it is good for a person to be forced into child rearing that he or
she does not want to.
My point of entering into this whole discussion was mostly to point out
that I don't think it is correct to blame the low numbers of women
professors on women being required to do the child rearing. I think it
mostly a choice they make. I acknowledge there are cases where the
woman may not have a choice, just as there are cases where the man does
not have a choice. With a professional couple with an intact marriage,
I think there is a choice, and for whatever reason, the woman is often
choosing to stay home. But I am certainly aware of the other choice
becoming common in my neck of the woods.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu
Tim Folkerts said:
You seem to have left out one important factor - who is better qualified
at child-rearing! Or for that matter, who WANTS to stay home with the
children. The care & wlefare of the children seems to be at the very
bottom of your list of factors to consider, rather than up near (or at)
the top. I expect that wasn't your intent, but that is the way it came
out.
Now, certainly women don't hold a monopoly on child-rearing abilities,
and the couple should consider a variety of factors when making
decisions on childcare. Still, one of those factors is biology. It's
not a toss up as to which parent can nurse the child. It's not a toss
up as to which parent will be getting pregnant (which is a major medical
event) if the couple has another child. Call me old-fashioned, but when
"everything else" is equal, there is still a logical deciding factor
between fathers and mothers staying home. Only when "evertything else"
tips a bit toward the father will it be a toss up.