Such evaluation systems, which in some cases are normative as well, weed-out the unworthy and heighten student anxiety. These extrinsic motivations are likely to either discourage or turn off more intrinsically motivated students. Social sciences and humanities are less likely to focus on a single right answer or experimental result, present theories that are more open to interpretation, and are more likely to interest an intrinsically motivated student. To a large extent, the decision of whether or not to pursue science as a career is made long before students ever arrive at college. However, a number of students, more women than men, plan to major in science and then are turned off by their college experiences.
Women sometimes feel alienated, unwelcome and inadequate.
This is a very complex and difficult problem to deal with. Young women are simultaneously coping with adjusting to the social pressures of gender roles and succeeding in a male-oriented, male dominated field. In general women do not find competition a meaningful way to receive feedback on their level of understanding. Women often feel they have to work harder than their male peers to achieve the same level of recognition. They encounter attitudes that range from obviousness to hostility among their peers and their professors.