Girls Underestimate Their Math Skills

A recent study found that girls often shortchange their math abilities, and, consequently, avoid math-oriented careers, such as engineering and computer science.

University of Michigan researchers followed 900 girls through school into adulthood and found that they consistently underestimated their abilities and achievements in math. Even girls who received high marks in honors math classes said they were worse at math than boys. What's more, the researchers found that parents also shortchanged their daughters' math abilities.

When choosing college majors and careers, many girls steered clear of math-oriented subjects, like engineering and computer science, because they feared working alone, despite the fact that these occupations often involve working in teams. The researchers said such attitudes help explain why males continue to dominate mathematical study and careers.