Nature and Nurture In Science

If I ever need advice on how to invest my money, or whether I should get a fixed or adjustable rater mortgage, I'll ask an economist. However, I will not ask an economist if men and women are born different. But some economists simply won't wait to be asked.

The current debate on women and their scientific abilities has missed the central point that scientists are made, not born, economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times on Monday.

The authors, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas chief economist W. Michael Cox and Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas economist Richard Alm, wrote that scientific knowledge requires years of education, and what matters are the choices and opportunities open to young women at universities.

"Clearly, debating whether women are intellectually equipped for sciences makes little sense. Women themselves have already settled the issue, one degree at a time," the authors said.