Mathematics and Girls: Solving for XX

When it comes to girls and mathematics, American attitudes are eroding any interest among young females in the subject. The notion that math is "uncool" is hurting the intellectual prospects for the country in an increasingly "flat" world.

That's the conclusion of a study released today by Janet Mertz, a University of Wisconsin-Madison oncology professor who examined data from international math competitions dating back to 1974. Her study also looked at surveys of U.S. students.

"We are wasting this valuable resource," Mertz said. "Girls can excel in math at the very highest level. There are some truly phenomenal women mathematicians out there."

The study looked at how many women faculty members there are in five top U.S. research university mathematics departments. Just 20 percent of them were born in the United States. The study also looked at test scores that show that in elementary school girls do as well or better in math than boys. These begin to lag in the middle school years and the gap widens greatly between girls and boys in high school.

Mertz' research comes at an interesting moment in time, when many of the faces on TV today talking about the financial crisis are, in fact, women. Maria Bartiromo and Jean Chatzky are just two names that come to mind. And Danica McKellar of "Wonder Years" and "West Wing" fame is doing her best to counter the stereotype with her own pro-math books and Web site for girls, www.mathdoesntsuck.com.

Additionally, the report suggests that the economic well-being of the U.S. is at risk, and that measures must be taken now to address the problem. Mertz and her colleagues suggest a good first step might include implementing the recommendations of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel and fully funding the America COMPETES, "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" and Sowing the Seeds through Science and Engineering Research Acts already passed by the U.S. Congress.

AWB's membership is also populated with many, many smart, professional women who are, indeed,  talented at mathematics. So is this a mass media issue? A cultural issue? All of the above?

What can business do to help dispel the myth among girls and young women about mathematics not being cool?