Women in Mathematics: The Addition of Difference (Race, Gender and Science)

Mathematics is often described as the purest of the sciences, the least tainted by subjective or cultural influences. Theoretically, the only requirement for a life of mathematics is mathematical ability. And yet we see virtually no images of women mathematicians. The myth that women are no good at math is deeply entrenched in our culture, perpetuated by headlines in newspapers (Do Boys have a Math Gene?), and a focus on math anxiety. But many people are surprised to learn that 46 per cent of the bachelor's degrees in the United States in mathematics go to women. Why, then, does this myth continue? Many factors contribute, but an important one is the lack of visible women mathematicians.The numbers decrease dramatically, as one goes through the mathematics pipeline: women earn only about 24 per cent of the math Ph.D.'s and are less than 6 per cent of the full time faculty at doctoral granting institutions in the United States (they are less than 3 per cent of the tenured professors at these institutions). This book is an investigation of the role of gender in the complex relationship between a mathematician, the mathematical community, and mathematics itself. It is based on a series of ten intensive interviews with prominent women mathematicians throughout the United States.