Barbie's Full of It

Numbers show girls as good at math as boys

Well this should finally put those old stereotypes to rest (Harvard's president not withstanding). How will it inform teaching math to girls? Only time will tell...

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer

(07-24) 11:04 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Researchers say the long-running debate is settled: Girls are just as good as boys at math.

"Today, we do know that women can do math," said Marcia Linn, UC Berkeley education professor and co-author of the report, published in this month's issue of the journal Science.

Decades ago, girls took fewer advanced math and science courses, and those who did posted lower scores. The old line of thinking seemed to say: Girls, who don't like math and aren't good at it, should shy away from those brainy courses.

That perspective was embraced by the popular doll Teen Talk Barbie, who briefly proclaimed in 1992: "Math class is tough."