Despite impressive employment gains in many fields of science, women remain underrepresented in fields requiring intensive use of mathematics.... » More

Despite impressive employment gains in many fields of science, women remain underrepresented in fields requiring intensive use

of mathematics. Here we discuss three potential explanations for women’s underrepresentation: (a) male–female mathematical

and spatial ability gaps, (b) sex discrimination, and (c) sex differences in career preferences and lifestyle choices. Synthesizing

findings from psychology, endocrinology, sociology, economics, and education leads to the conclusion that, among a

combination of interrelated factors, preferences and choices—both freely made and constrained—are the most significant

cause of women’s underrepresentation.

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