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GenderdifferenceisnottheexcuseofsexdiscriminationLawrenceSummers,HarvardUniversityPresident,wasbeingcriticizedforsayingthatwomenlackthenaturalabilitytodoaswellasmeninscienceandengineering.Whenreferringtogenderdifferenceandsexdiscrimination,Ithinkphysiologicaldifferencebetweenfemalandmaleshouldbeobjectivelyrecognized,buttherightandabilityonpursuitofknowledgearecoordinate.Inakeynotespeechataconferenceondiversity,Summershypothesizedthattheshortageofwomenincertaindisciplinescouldbeexplainedbyinnatedifferencesinmathematicalability.Inmyopinion,Idon’tthinkgenderwasrelevanttoanycareeraspirations,buthavingsomanyoptionsmaybewhywomenareunderrepresentedinfieldslikescienceandmath.Women,Ithink,tendtohaveabroaderarrayofcareeroptionsthanmen.Sowomenperformaboutthesameasmeninmathclasses,butarestilllesslikelythanmentoseekacareerinscience,technology,engineeringormath.Also,studysuggeststhereasonmaybealackofrolemodels,resultinginfemalesinthefieldfeelingliketheydon'tbelong.Undoubly,therearemanydifferencesbetweenmenandwomen,andfurtherstudyofthemajorresonsoftherepresentationofwomenamongscienceandengineeringfacultyareneeded.However,sexdiscriminationisabsolutelywrong.Toconclude,doso-calleddifferencesinmathematicalabilitymatteratall?Thedebateontheissuehassofarmissedthecentralpoint:scientistsaremade,notborn.Ateverylevelofthescientificenterprise,fromgradeschoolthroughgradschoolandbeyond,oursocietyisfailingtomakeasmanywomenscientistsasitcould—perhapsbecausewearetoomesmerizedbytheideathatscientistshavetobeborn.