Where the Boys Aren't (CHRISTINA TAKES ON THE GATES FOUNDATION...BOYS ARE IN TROUBLE)

American Enterprise Institute ^ | 7/03/06 | Christina Hoff Sommers

[ClaireSolt]

Connections. It is not what you know, but who you know. After all, that is the way most people have gotten their vocational training historically. They can go into the family biz, skip the War churchill bit, and save a lot.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

So, as always, they go out into the workplace and take it out on women, thus, the ongoing wage gap. All these men do poorly on tests and yet they are still the majority of bosses and much more highly paid. Why is that?

Business doesn't value brains?

Not everything that matters in life shows up on a paper credential.

[aft_lizard]

I think it comes down to the fact that women are generally far better students than men.

I like to say that people who have an A intellect but only a C study habit are only going to be a B student whereas a C intellect with an A study habit will generally get an A, it doesnt make the person with a lower intellect any smarter but it does make them a better student. Women will generally fall into the second category(not to say there intellects are lower mind you, but rather they study harder on average) whereas men tend to be lax studier's.

[aft_lizard]

I thought he was wrong too, I always thought that women were stronger in verbals than men, in fact my psychiatrist who administered my last IQ test told me that my verbal IQ was very high and he said more women tend to be stronger in the verbal section. Anyways heres a link to SAT averages:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883611.html

[Rte66]

Thanks. I see it, but I don't believe it. Not at all.

[TChad]

You wrote: " ... Too many people prefer not to notice that males still outscore females slightly on verbal SATs ..." I'd have to see that to believe it. Where would I find these numbers?

Here are the male and female SAT scores from 1972 to 2004.

2005 scores are here, in the text:

Male Verbal : 513
Female Verbal: 505

Male Math: 538
Female Math: 504

[Rte66]

Thanks. My experiences with the SAT were long before the start date on the statistics.

That just does not compute with what I have experienced in real life in the business world. *so what else is new?*

[TChad]

Thanks. I see it, but I don't believe it. Not at all.

I hope that you are not being serious.

[TChad]

Sorry, I should always check for responses before posting.

[Pikachu_Dad]

http://www.fairtest.org/pr/2000%20SATgap.html

[jackieaxe]

The number of boys diagnosed with disabilities, she says, "has exploded in the past 30 years." Translation: The number of boys put on drugs by the NEA/Lesbian/Psychological Services mafia for acting like boys has grown beyond all reason.

We are on our way to criminalizing male behavior. Also, the screwball Psychological Services mafia is an industry to itself. Their ranks consist of "Grief Councilors", "Drug Councilors", "Psychological Councilors", the drug companies, and of course, the lying Women's Studies Academics who run cover for the whole show and justify keeping the constantly increasing taxpayer dollars coming. Something like what this article is doing.

[Rte66]

Interesting that the PSAT is now the National Merit test, too. I took two different ones, one for each - College Board and NMSQ. Oh, well. Pretty meaningless to me, now. Also at the time, since all I needed was an ACT score for college.

My best friend scored 1 point higher on the NMSQ than I did. She got a scholarship and I didn't. It was OK - she studied a lot and I didn't.

[El Gato]

I would also venture to say that women get degrees in the "softer" disciplines...as opposed to math, engineering, etc

Not as much as formerly. In Computer Science, both the "hard" and "soft" versions, it's not true at all. The last woman my department hired was an Electronics Engineer, and we're a heavily software oriented bunch. One of the top technical gurus of the division that builds "spooky" stuff is a woman. My department head is a woman engineer, and the VP above her is also a woman, but her PhD is in a "semi soft" area, Industrial Psychology (ergonomics, training, etc). One of the rising technical stars of the Space Sciences Division is female as well. Although I can't recall her name (she does work in another division after all) , you've possibly seen her on the Discovery, History, or National Geographic channels, she's an astrophysicist.

[El Gato]

I would agree totally in the liberal arts...but I don't see how that would be in the sciences.

Not just liberal arts, but pre-med, pre-law, and most everything but Physics, Chemistry and most engineering disciplines.

[El Gato]

I would recommend the ladies do what I did...find a man in the trades..

One red headed lady software engineer in our division is married to one of the Hispanic groundskeepers. Seems to work though, and he's a big ugly brute, but a heck of a nice guy, once you get past his "Beast" appearance. :)

Another lady, with an MSEE is married to a telephone repairman, also Hispanic. (She's also somewhat taller than he is, but again, seems to work, and this is in San Antonio, where the such Tejano/Gringo pairings are not uncommon. Both ways I might add, the daughter of an Army Reserve Lt. Col. friend from far south Texas married a Gringo. (And that Gringo got one heck of a catch I might add)

[El Gato]

I don't understand what you mean...she shows that it's not a zero-sum game...boys are doing worse.

A zero sum game is one in which if someone wins, someone else must lose. Not all situtations fit that mold, and this is one that doesn't. There's no reason both boys and girls can't do well.

[El Gato]

Interesting that the PSAT is now the National Merit test, too. I took two different ones, one for each - College Board and NMSQ

How long ago did you take them, I took the PSAT/NMSQT in my junior year, which was '66-'67, at least I think they were one test in that school year. I got a National Merit Scholarship too, sponsored by Goodyear, where my parents worked.

[Rte66]

Twas the year before that, actually.

[torchthemummy]

I'm not sure if it was Sommers who said this (paraphrasing) but it has always stuck in my mind:

"If girls are falling behind academically, change the curriculum.

If boys are falling behind academically, change the boys."

[Pikachu_Dad]

I would also venture to say that women get degrees in the "softer" disciplines...as opposed to math, engineering, etc I read recently that they are about to start on an attack on this. Just as they did with the sports issue.