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"Sometimes they do it because they want to serve their community.[...] "People think they can solve important problems of society if they go towards these [subjects], Dr Javidan says.[...] At the same time, affluent Western societies like to encourage people to "follow their passions" in education and work, Professor Charles says."Same reason Israel has women in the army. Aspirational collective, national projects and a focus on service to the community override whatever innate cultural or natural differences there are, and national focus on scientific excellence and actually valuing scientific expertise reinforces it.
>"She followed a large group of Australians from age 16 to 24 and says the gender gap in career preferences is already clear in school. So few teenage girls report interest in engineering as a career. No wonder they do not show up in engineering classes at university. Dr Sikora says the move away from compulsory mathematics in school is not likely to help the situation."
The opposite in Australia. Individualism, personal preference, indifference to mathematics and the sciences and personal choice will reinforce gender stereotypes. I'm genuinely confused why people are surprised by this.
