“Most women are bad at math” is an exaggerated stereotype.
It’s not all that surprising though, for those reasons. Lots of folks will happily say “most people are stupid”. The stereotype is explainable simply by setting the bar high enough. Though by itself, that will also yield “Most men are bad at math”—several varieties of selective perception might explain this, but I most prefer xkcd’s.
xkcd’s is a good explanation. Also, the longer tail means that in the bubble of elite math departments, experience will seem to indicate that men are better on average. Of course, just because a stereotype’s existence is unsurprising doesn’t mean it’s not exaggerated or that it’s rational to believe.
It’s not all that surprising though, for those reasons. Lots of folks will happily say “most people are stupid”. The stereotype is explainable simply by setting the bar high enough. Though by itself, that will also yield “Most men are bad at math”—several varieties of selective perception might explain this, but I most prefer xkcd’s.
xkcd’s is a good explanation. Also, the longer tail means that in the bubble of elite math departments, experience will seem to indicate that men are better on average. Of course, just because a stereotype’s existence is unsurprising doesn’t mean it’s not exaggerated or that it’s rational to believe.