What's your major?

[differenceblog]

Morgan et al (2001) found both men and women ranked "interesting work" as a high priority when determining their career choices, as determined by college major. However, the two groups seemed to find different things interesting: men were more likely to be enrolled in math or physical science programs, whereas women were more likely to choose

Comments

[poeticalpanther]

men were more likely to be enrolled in math or physical science programs, whereas women were more likely to choose education or arts/humanities.

:P''''

In high school, I was on the math team, as well as the various sports teams I played for. I also used to do physics problems for extra credit, and placed 3rd in Toronto in my age on a national math contest.

So what did I choose at university, where I knew I'd probably transition? Humanities. Why? Because I'd heard, already, from women friends who'd gone on to university, how awfully women were treated in those days in math & science. So I abandoned the subjects in which I had the highest marks (92% average in final year in math & science courses), and went where women were "supposed" to go: humanities.

So...did I choose humanities because women prefer humanities, or did I choose it because men made the alternative too painful and difficult to think about? I already knew I'd have to deal with anti-trans stuff, I didn't want to add in misogyny where I didn't have to.

[astrogeek01]

When was that, out of curiosity?

[poeticalpanther]

I graduated high school in 1984. :)

[mrsmalkav]

in highschool, i was "good at" chemistry, math, and computer science. pretty much in that order.

in college (a liberal arts engineering school), i failed math, i failed chemistry, and passed computer science. i saw it as a sign. but i did my concentration/minor in psychology...

i've found a surprising (to me) number of computer science/psychology interest cross-overs in my time. kinda neat.

oh, and now? i'm also a bellydancer -- i find that i really value my time with women, even if i find that i don't quite get them ;)

[dawn_guy]

As an externally identifiably female person with strong performance in all subject areas, I was encouraged to pursue a science degree "because it will get you a good job". Neither of my parents had any post-secondary education (my mother graduated Grade VIII and was a Bell operator before having kids).

I was discouraged from going into engineering (in the 80s) because of the strong anti-female bias in the field, and discouraged from the humanities because it was seen by my parents and mentors as chancy for earning a living (What do you do with an English degree? Write poetry? You'll starve unless you get a good husband, and a bright girl like you should be able to look after herself).

[elsceetaria]

I made all A's in high school and took a million math and science classes, but I also studied alot of languages. I have always been interested in Medicine and thought that a degree in Biology was the way I should go. After a few months in Biology, I had no idea what I wanted to major in except that it wasn't Biology. Secend semester of my Sophmore year, I finally fixated on Science, Technology, and Culture with a concentration on Biomedicine. This is a program which seeks to study science from a culltural and literary perspective. I'm minoring in Biology and Psychology, and love that I can view the world from so many inter-related yet distinct angles. I'm working on a pretty messed up English degree from one of the top engineering schools. I'm not completely sure where I am going with this, but I have a little time to figure that out.

[differenceblog]

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