Letters

The Math Myth

"Who says a woman can't be Einstein?" was invaluably informative about the scientific research and sociological theories concerning women in math and science [March 7]. As a woman university student, I am continually saddened by the negative attitudes that persist in academia about women's aptitude in those fields. As suggested in your article, the educational system--not biology--is to blame for any discrepancy between the achievements of men and those of women. Given the right training and encouragement at an early age, women can, without a doubt, equal men in math, science and engineering--just as they have in other fields.

MANISHA CHAKRAVARTHY - Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

As a woman in science, I know that you cannot overestimate the pervasiveness of attitudes discouraging girls from pursuing math and science. I grew up in a university town, the daughter of a female biologist, but still felt societal and peer pressure that made me believe I couldn't be smart at science. I credit my seventh-grade science teacher with encouraging me to break through my personal stereotypes and refusing to allow me to settle for B's or C's when he knew I could achieve A's.

LAURA MCLAIN MADSEN, D.V.M. - Riverton, Utah

Your story on women and the sciences was a wake-up call to anyone who is hanging on to a one-size-fits-all view of teaching math and scientific subjects. Research confirms what perceptive teachers know: different people (whether they differ by gender, age or simply nature's diversity) learn at different times and in different ways. We cannot cling to a naive assumption that most students will learn in the same way if they just apply themselves. We know how to teach mathematics for all students--by using not just symbols but strategies that target visual and perceptive ways of learning, and engaging students in challenging problems so they can both understand and use math in life after school.

CATHY SEELEY, PRESIDENT - NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS - Austin, Texas

Why don't you publish an article trying to explain why boys score lower than girls in verbal-aptitude tests? It seems the focus is always on why girls are not as good as boys at math. If boys don't perform as well as girls in a subject, it is never controversial. In fact, no one seems to care. Do we value math more than reading and writing?

COLIN C. BAKER - Dayton, Ohio

I was delighted to read your cover story. When I first learned about Harvard University President Lawrence Summers' remarks, I was offended. Women are as intelligent as men, if not more so, even in areas such as math and science. Females are underestimated by society. If they are motivated and confident in their abilities, any one of them might be the next Einstein. Societal pressures keep women from succeeding in mathematical and scientific fields. Once we surmount the stereotypes, we will more than keep up with men in those fields.

SHANA RUSONIS - Ellicott City, Md.

The question is not whether women lack an innate ability to succeed and excel in science (that is simply not the case) but whether there are gender-based, neuronal differences in how males and females perceive input, frame scenarios and derive conclusions. If male and female scientists arrive at identical conclusions via similar yet subtly different pathways, it suggests that together we may reach a far greater understanding of any particular problem than through any single-gender effort. In the pursuit of scientific truth, the wealth of knowledge gained through diverse perspectives truly elevates us. I sincerely hope we're not all the same. The world would be a pretty boring place if we were.

JAMES S. LEE, DIRECTOR - MATH AND SCIENCE PROGRAMS - CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE - Cambridge, Mass.

Women are as smart as men? Have you ever known a man to buy a shirt that buttons up the back?

BOB BOWEN - Powhatan Point, Ohio

One Woman's Story

Civil engineer Pat Galloway wrote a first-person account of her ascent to the summit of her profession [March 7]. Her courage, determination and devotion to duty must be commended, and her account should be read by all women civil engineers to inspire, motivate and encourage them. During my long service as a professor of civil engineering, I have observed many women succeed in the profession at different levels.

DAVID J. VICTOR - Duluth, Ga.

A Marine Accused

TIME reported on the murder charges brought against Marine 2nd Lieut. Ilario Pantano for shooting two Iraqis near Baghdad in what Pantano says was self-defense [March 7]. I pose two questions: If the two Iraqis had detonated explosives, killing Pantano's men but not Pantano, would he be prosecuted for dereliction of duty for not preventing the explosion and the casualties? Or if the Iraqis had detonated explosives, killing Pantano, his men and themselves, would the government honor him as a hero and adorn his coffin with medals? Leaders like Pantano are supposed to be decisive. He made a decision--to save his troops and himself--that the U.S. government apparently does not like, and he is paying the price.

ROBERT L. NOLAN - Lunenburg, Mass.

Pantano may not be a hero, but he is certainly no villain. Those of us living comfortably far from Iraq's front lines cannot possibly comprehend the confusion and sheer terror of confronting insurgents. Pantano saw an enemy, perceived a threat and was forced to make a split-second decision based on his years of military training and experience. A wrong decision could mean his life. There was no time to contemplate. If you want empathy and political correctness, send the Peace Corps. If you want to win a war, send in the Marines. But don't be horrified by the carnage.

DAVID SCHMIDT - Ontonagon, Mich.

Ensuring that the military rules of engagement are enforced is both necessary and honorable. Charging combat troops with premeditated murder when mistakes are made under duress defies the logic of self-defense during warfare.

JAMES M. WHITE - SERGEANT FIRST CLASS, U.S. ARMY (RET.) - Tucson, Ariz.

Abortion Compromise?

Andrew Sullivan's Essay on abortion presented a sound middle ground for those on both sides of the issue to approach [March 7]. I hope the argument of moral consequences vs. a woman's right to choose can be set aside in order to focus on what everyone really wants: fewer abortions. As a staunch pro-lifer and Christian, I have a hard time admitting that we need to increase access to contraception, but I certainly would accept pills and condoms (with a healthy dose of lessons on abstinence and self-control) to avoid the taking of human life.

TODD SIERER - Provo, Utah

It would be great if antiabortion activists would join pro-choicers to advocate for measures to reduce abortions. But often those who most strongly oppose abortion rights do so not out of respect for life but to control women and punish them for exercising their sexuality.

LEE AGNEW - Norman, Okla.

I may be willing to agree with Sullivan that it is time for both sides to get together on abortion, but I am not ready to compromise years of progress in the women's movement for equality. Though women are the only ones physically getting abortions, they are not the only ones having sexual intercourse. Sullivan's assertions that the decline of teenage pregnancy is due in part to "sexual restraint among young women" and that abstinence programs "can work for some women" appear to exclude men from the equation, as if women alone were the guardians of sexual morality. If the goal is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, then educating young men about abstinence and sexual responsibility is just as important.

LAURIE MCLAUGHLIN - New York City

Sullivan misses the central moral message. The consensus goal should not be to reduce the number of abortions but to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The sanctity of human life is best upheld when we make sure life is not created carelessly. Precisely because life and parenthood are so precious, we must ensure that no woman is coerced into carrying a pregnancy to term. We suggest working for a world in which abortion is safe, legal, accessible--and rare.

(THE REV.) DEBRA W. HAFFNER - Norwalk, Conn.

A No-Wynn Situation

Your story about the exhibition of Ralph Lauren's vintage autos [Feb. 28] referred to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' loan of 21 Monets to "the gallery at Steve Wynn's Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas." You said Wynn paid the museum a "reported $1 million" in exchange for the loan of the Monets. Wynn sold the Bellagio in 2000 and today has no connection to it or to the Monet exhibition, a collaboration between our gallery and the Boston Museum that required significant investment of time and money on both parts.

ANDREA BUNDONIS AND MARC GLIMCHER - THE BELLAGIO GALLERY OF FINE ART - Las Vegas