Women Do Math
Entrance to women do Math/BC and Ukon. Cariboo College, Kamloops B.C

Sponsored by the Dean of Science and the Department of mathematics and Statistics at SFU and depending almost entirely on volunteers, this first conference attracted about 350 young women of high school age. Subsequent conferences have been sponsored not only by the university but by Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) and through grants from the B.C. government.

Although details have changed over the years, the structure and philosophy of the conference have remained constant: mathematics is intrinsically beautiful and enjoyable, and accessible to all if the psychological and social roadblocks are removed. Mathematics is the gateway to the sciences and technology. It is a prerequisite for entering such diverse fields as engineering, biology, psychology, accounting, and nursing. For young women completing high school, mathematics opens the doors to many traditional and non-traditional careers. Dropping mathematics severely restricts their options.

Mathematics is intrinsically beautiful and enjoyable, and accessible to all.

The reason girls drop mathematics are probably as varied as the girls themselves; the conferences attempt to confront several of the most common. Often the girls simply do not see how math can be of any importance in their lives. Talks and workshops about careers give them an idea of how important their immediate studies may be for their future. There is a general belief in high school that math is difficult, especially for girls, and is not an enjoyable activity in its own right. Our science and math workshops are designed to show that math is beautiful, useful, and not so difficult as one may think.

Perhaps the most important barrier to be overcome is that young women often cannot see a place for themselves in the world of science and technology. They lack role models and the sense of a community to which they might belong. A full day of interactions with women scientists, mathematicians and technologists gives them a glimpse of this community and their potential place in it.

Women Do Math and Ms Infinity attempt to attract both the best mathematics students (who may already be committed to a scientific career) and, more importantly, those who may be in danger of ending their high school math study before completion. A mother phoned recently to enquire about having her daughter attend Women Do Math this year. Two years ahead of her grade level in math, the daughter had lost interest and stopped talking about becoming a scientist. Her mother believed social pressures and expectations were undermining her daughter's ambition. It is for this young women and many others like her that the conferences are held.

Lasting one day, conferences are a mixture of talks, workshops, and opportunities for informal discussions among women professionals and participants. The number and type of talks given have varied considerably since 1987. Until this year, the day opened with a talk about careers, a discussion of the necessity for young women to realize that they will work most of their adult lives and that their choice of a career is crucial. This year, when the conference is held; for the first time in March instead of November, a careers workshop will replace the talk. Developed at Kwantlan College, the career workshop gives students the same information but with more personal impact.

Each girl is assigned a life scenario: a single parent of two children, married with no children, etc. Based on this scenario, each one is asked to calculate what it will cost her to live as she would wish. The result comes as a shock. The girls then choose various careers and look up the average income for their chosen occupations. This produces a second shock as they quickly discover that traditional "women's work" is usually the lowest paid and that careers that pay adequately are often in the sciences, in technology, or in a profession.



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