8月10日口譯文章：揭秘：為何女性不肯進入科技範疇
作為馬裏蘭州銀泉市蒙哥馬利布萊爾高中(MontgomeryBlair High School)科學和數學磁石籌劃(magnetprogram)的調和員，彼得·奧斯特朗德(Peter Ostrander)一向在為這項申明遠播的籌劃高聲疾呼，但他很不滿足。在曩昔的幾年中，申請人中的男孩和女孩人數差未幾，接收率——重要基於測驗成就和品級——亦是如斯。
但是，當觸及到哪些受邀者廢棄該地域其他項目，轉而選取這項磁石籌劃的時刻，天平偏向了男生。好比，在2012年相符前提的男生中，有80%的人選取參加，但贊成參加的女士唯一70%。2010年的這項比例分離為93%和56%。
奧斯特朗德篤信，這項籌劃可以更好地向女孩們推行其產物。客歲春季，他招募了一批高年級女士，讓她們給那些仍然心神不定的姐妹們打手機，他說，如許能歌頌磁石籌劃的奇異的地方，並遣散使人膩煩的極客神話。
“外界的呆板印象素來是，介入磁石籌劃的皆是一些毫無生趣的書白癡，”他說。“不管‘書白癡’這個詞畢竟象征著甚麽。”
這些高年級女士充斥豪情地打起了手機(須要解釋的是，我的女兒也是個中一員)。她們談到了進修的興趣，課外運動和姐妹情義，並終極說服很多女孩選取參加，也趁便為本身賺到了比薩餅和三明治。但只管如斯，本年秋日參加磁石籌劃的女孩仍然比男孩少許多。
其成果是，在接下來的四年中，沉醉於物理學、化學、生物學、微積分、盤算機科學、天文學、蟲豸學、電開工具的準確應用，和人文和社會科學(沒錯，磁石籌劃也包括這兩門學科)這一請求嚴厲，但使人知足，乃至沖動民氣的進修感受當中的門生，將仍然以男生為主——約莫占門生總數的三分之二。
蒙哥馬利布萊爾高中的情形一點也不特別。縱然究竟證實女孩具有研習科學和數學的氣力，但一觸及到這些此前被描寫為男孩專屬範疇的學科時，她們的抵觸情感仍舊仿徨不去。
在研討職員看來，假如想要完全鏟除科學範疇更普遍的不屈等征象，各界就必需直面並懂得這類心神不定的生理，和稍微的、大概出自潛意識且毫無依據的反數理學科情感(quantipathy)。充分的證據已駁倒了那種以為女性大腦基本不克不及舉行空間思惟，量子奔騰和數學題運算的概念。在天下規模內，女孩的數學均勻成就與男孩大要同等，並沒有好壞之別。
縱然在那些測驗成就高居總生齒前千分之十的數學天才——這個罕見範疇，被哈佛大學(Harvard University)前校長勞倫斯·薩默斯 (Lawrence Summers)惡名昭彰地稱為男孩地帶——傍邊，男生的上風也一向在穩步萎縮：男女士的比例如今已從上世紀80年月的13比1降低至約莫3比1。
楊百翰大學(Brigham Young University)的約瑟夫·普萊斯(Joseph Price)及其同事本年宣布的研討申報表現，僅僅為高危害的數學比賽添加更多輪次的較勁，優越者的性別差別就會隨之消逝。研討職員宣稱，在單次競賽中，男孩的成就每每比女孩更好，但當參賽者擔當屢次復賽的時刻，男孩就很輕易出錯誤，從而讓女孩奮起直追，乃至常常超出他們。
女孩的進修成就也淩駕一籌。在全美國規模內，高中女士的數學和科學均勻績點是 2.76(總分為4)，男生的均勻績點則為2.56。
男女天資同等這一看法，確定已滲入滲出到現代青年人的心靈深處。在美國生理學協會(American PsychologicalAssociation)比來召開的一次集會上，阿拉巴馬大學(The University of Alabama)的安東尼·德裏索(Anthony Derriso)宣布了他就2009年舉行一項大範圍調研運動所做的研討剖析申報，這項調研運動對遍及全美各地的逾2.1萬名九年級門生舉行了采訪。
正在撰寫生理學博士論文的德裏索判斷，男女門生都以為男孩和女孩具備均等的科學和數學才能;對付本身的數學和科學技巧，他們表達了相似程度的自負心;宣稱本身正在進修數學和科學，而且遭到先生、家長[微博]和其他同窗支撐的男女門生比例亦大要相稱。
但是，能力是一回事，理想是另外一回事。在答復“你未來有無大概選取科研類事情?”這個題目時，約莫2300邏輯學生(約占受訪總人數的11%)做了確定回答。在有此理想的九年級門生中，61%是男生。
德裏索認可這類征象讓他迷惑不解。“假如男孩和女孩對數學和科學一樣感興致，而且對本身才能具備一致的自負心，”他異常想曉得，“他們的職業意向為何會有如斯偉大的差別呢?我今朝找不出謎底。”
這類決裂延長到了大學。非營利構造女孩科學俱樂部(Science Club for Girls)的履行董事鄒瑞兒(ConnieChow)指出，29%的男大門生主修數學或科學，而唯一15%的女大門生選取這些專業。善於科學的男孩擁抱科學，但加入過數學比賽的女孩平日會把本身的能力棄捐在一旁。研討職員發明，在進修才能評估測試(SAT)數學部門斬獲高分的門生中，男孩平日盼望主修物理、工程或盤算機，而女孩的首選範疇則是經濟學、政治學或醫學。湧現這類差別的緣故原由之一大概是，與男孩分歧，數學成就高的女孩也每每具有較高的說話成就，故而大概認為本身的職業選取異常遼闊。但仍然有一個題目，既然選取規模如斯寬闊，那末為何這麽多女孩終極舍科學和數學而去呢?
在美國，女性如今得到的學士學位靠近總數的60%，但個中唯一20%是盤算機科學學位，物理和工程學位的比例分離為20%和18%。女性占全美勞動力雄師的半邊天，但在科技人材群體的占比僅為四分之一。別的，相較於男性，具有科學學位的主婦不大大概從事科技類事情。恰好相反，很多人終極選取了醫療保健或教導類事情。
這些範疇大概相當主要，異常崇高。但高尚是要支付價值的。從事非科學事情的女性賺取的薪水，僅是高科技範疇從業者的四分之三。女科學家的缺少也有助於說明男性和女性之間的團體人為差距。
號令女性和少數族裔從事科技事情的人士，其實不害怕打“收入牌”。鄒博士和她的同事為低收入社區的女孩籌備了一些課外科學指點俱樂部。這些女孩很愛好介入，她們對科學的興致弘遠於很多巨室女。但是，對付一些女孩來講，“曉得從事科技類事情(好比說海洋工程師)可以或許賺取若幹錢，切實其實會發生不同樣的鼓勵後果。”
研討職員一向在試下著說明女孩對付科學揮之不去的討厭情感。他們宣稱，尺度的查詢拜訪表現不出隱蔽的激動或悲觀設法主意。人們大概會說，他們以為女性的才能與男性不相手足。但正如耶魯大學(Yale University)的喬·漢德斯曼(Jo Handelsman)及其同事客歲宣布的研討申報所述，只需用“詹妮弗”這個名字調換“約翰”，便可下降男性和女性對一名潛伏科學家的簡歷的評價。
渺小的細節有大概發生緊張的效果。在尺度化數學測試中，假如考生被請求註解其性別，女孩的成就就會下降。當女考生被告訴加入此類測驗的男女士的成就一樣好時，她們的表示就會有所改良。假如門生們被告訴，智力猶如肌肉，是用進廢退的——而不是被告訴稟賦是牢固的，一小我思惟的快或慢是與生俱來的——他們就將得到更好的成就。
“有些人說，‘我不善於數學，這沒甚麽大不了的，我再也不學數學便是了。’這是一種西方社會特有的征象。”鄒博士說。“我是在香港長大的，歷來沒有聽到哪位家長說，‘你說得對，學不會那就爽性廢棄吧。’”
請不要廢棄，將來的科學家。終有一天，你將對著鏡子，驕傲地回收書白癡這個外號。隨他人如何說明這個稱呼的寄義。
【參考譯文】
Peter Ostrander, the tireless coordinator and cheerleader for a renowned science andmathematics magnet program at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., was notsatisfied. Over the past few years, the pool of applicants had included nearly as many girls asboys, and the acceptance rate — based largely on test scores and grades — had followedsuit。
Yet when it came to which of the invitees ended up choosing Blair’s magnet option over otherofferings in the area, the scales tilted male. In 2012, for example, 80 percent of the eligibleboys said yes, but only 70 percent of the girls. In 2010, the figures had been 93 percent and56 percent。
Convinced the program could do better at pitching its product to girls, Mr. Ostrander recruitedteams of upper-class girls last spring to call their hesitant young counterparts. Extol thewonders of the program, he said. Dispel the tired geek myths。
“The stereotype is out there that the magnet is filled with nerdy people,” he said. “Whateverthat means。”
The upper-class students took to the phone banks with verve. (Full disclosure: my daughterwas one of them。) They talked of fun, extracurriculars and sisterhood. They secured many yesvotes and earned pizza and sandwiches — but still, fewer qualified girls than boys are enteringthe magnet this fall。
As a result, the demanding, gratifying, even thrilling four-year immersion in physics,chemistry, biology, calculus, computer science, astronomy, entomology, the proper use ofpower tools — and yes, the humanities and social sciences — remains almost two-thirds male。
Montgomery Blair’s experience is by no means unique. Even as girls prove their prowess inscience and math, their ambivalence lingers when it comes to fields formerly painted boy blue。
As researchers see it, that reluctance, that slight and possibly subliminal case of unfoundedquantipathy, must be confronted and understood if the wider inequities in science are to berooted out for good. Ample evidence refutes the notion that female brains just can’t rotatethe object, leap the quantum, do the math. Worldwide, girls’ average math scores are on a parwith those of boys。
And even among math geniuses who score in the top ten thousandth of the population — therarefied precinct notoriously deemed a boys’ club by the former Harvard president LawrenceSummers — the male advantage has been shrinking steadily, to about 3 boys per girl todayfrom 13 in the 1980s。
Joseph Price of Brigham Young University and his colleagues reported this year that the gendergap in high-stakes math competitions disappeared simply by adding more rounds to a contest.Boys did better than girls in single-shot events, the researchers said, but when put throughmultiple rematches the boys fumbled, allowing the girls to catch up and often surpass them。
Girls also excel in the classroom. Nationwide, their grade point average in high school math andscience is 2.76 out of 4, compared with 2.56 for boys。
The message of equal aptitude has certainly infiltrated today’s youth. In a recent presentationat a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Anthony Derriso of the University ofAlabama reported his analysis of a vast 2009 study of more than 21,000 ninth gradersnationwide。
Mr. Derriso, who is completing his doctoral dissertation in psychology, determined thatstudents of both sexes rated boys and girls equally competent in science and math;expressed similar levels of confidence in their own math and science skills; and were equallylikely to say they felt they were engaged in math and science and were supported by theirteachers, parents and peers。
Yet aptitude is one thing, aspiration another. In answer to the question “Are you likely topursue a scientific career?” some 2,300 students — 11 percent of the total — said yes. Amongthe ninth-grade yeasayers, 61 percent were male。
Mr. Derriso admits to bafflement. “If boys and girls are equally interested in math and scienceand feel equally confident about their abilities,” he wondered, “why this humongous differencein intent? I don’t have an answer for that。”
The division marches off to college. Connie Chow, the executive director of the nonprofitgroup Science Club for Girls, pointed out that 29 percent of male college students major inmath or science, compared with only 15 percent of female ones. Boys who ace science embracescience, but female mathletes keep their skills at arm’s length. Researchers have found that,among students with high scores on the math portion of the SAT, boys cited their desire tomajor in the physical sciences, engineering or computers, while the girls preferred fields likeeconomics, political science or medicine. One reason for the disparity may be that girls withhigh math scores, unlike their male counterparts, also tend to have high verbal scores and somay feel their career options are wide open. But still, given the choice, why do so many girlswalk away from science and math?
In this country, women now earn close to 60 percent of bachelor’s degrees overall, but only 20percent of the degrees in computer science, 20 percent of those in physics and 18 percent ofthose in engineering. Women constitute half the nation’s work force but just a quarter of itsscientific corps, and women with science degrees are less likely than their male counterparts towork in a scientific occupation. Instead, many end up in health care or education。
Those fields may be vital and heroic, but nobility comes at a price. Women in nonscience jobsearn just three-quarters the salary accorded those in higher-tech fields, and the paucity offemale scientists helps explain the overall wage gap between women and men。
Advocates for women and minorities in science are not afraid to play the money card. Dr. Chowand her colleagues organize after-school science clubs for girls in low-income communities. Thegirls love it, expressing stronger interest in science than many privileged students. Yet for someof the girls, Dr. Chow said, “knowing how much you can earn as, say, a marine engineer reallymakes a difference。”
In seeking to explain girls’ persistent aversion to science, researchers argue that standardsurveys won’t reveal hidden impulses or negative thoughts. People may say they considerwomen the equals of men, but as Jo Handelsman and her colleagues at Yale University reportedlast year, simply substituting the name Jennifer for John lowered both men’s and women’sestimation of an aspiring scientist’s résumé。
Small details can have serious consequences. Women do worse on standardized math testswhen asked to indicate their sex. When they are told men and women do equally well on suchtests, their performance improves. Students show greater gains when they are taught thatthe mind, like a muscle, gets stronger with work, as opposed to being told that talents arefixed and you’re born either quick or slow。
“It’s a uniquely Western phenomenon to say, ‘I’m no good at math, that’s O.K. and I can stopdoing it,’ ” Dr. Chow said. “I grew up in Hong Kong, and no parent would say, ‘You’re right, justgive up.’ ”
Don’t give up, budding scientist. One day you’ll look in the mirror and proudly embrace theterm nerd. Whatever that means。
市場價：HK$ 110
