It's the removal of impossibility that's important. Panelists agreed that when it comes to sparking girls' interest, it's more about keeping options open than pushing them too hard to embrace the sciences. Thompson also warned against simple explanations for the disproportionate number of men turning science and math into careers. She challenged the validity of explanations based on gender, such as the conventional wisdom that a girl will earn better grades if there are at least two girls in a lab group, not just one girl working with several boys. Research, she said, proved that not pairing aggressive students with timid ones is more important than gender.
Gender is our cultural interpretation of biology.
When you see somebody is really sure of something, doubt them. Another issue in the panel discussion was the effectiveness of holding separate science and math classes for girls and boys as a way to allow girls to take a more active role. We still live in a society with males and females. Instead, Lloyd suggested switching roles in science labs so girls are not always the note-takers and boys the ones in charge of the equipment and the experiment. I don't want every girl to go into math or science.