She Does Math!: Real-Life Problems from Women on the Job

This is a great book that I like to give to female students who might be considering a career or just a major in mathematics. It gives the short biographies of quite a few mathematicians in detail. In this way, even if the student can't have these female role models physically in their life, the student can at least get to know these role models and their individual struggles. Reading this book will help young women understand what challenges they will face if they pursue a career in math, but also that this career path *is possible* for women, and has been successfully achieved by *many* women before them. At the same time, not every women profiled in this book is a math teacher. Many young students believe this is the only option for a person with a degree in mathematics, but this book samples from a wide array of jobs, from nutritionists to engineers to math teachers (like me) I recommend this book, especially for women pursuing a degree in math, but it would also be helpful for young men thinking about receiving a degree in math because it displays an array of job possibilities that can be achieved with a math degree. :)

While great progress has been made in reducing the strength of gender stereotypes in society, there is much that still remains. Which makes this book so valuable. Young women still need same sex role models to demonstrate that it is possible to learn math and use it to earn a living. These examples of women using mathematics in their work, which range from archeology to x-ray astronomy with many stops in between, are so important in building the necessary confidence for success. Our children, especially girls, are still often exposed to explicit and implicit messages that mathematics is not for them. It does not matter if the substance is that it is too hard, not applicable or not proper. The result is the same: failed potential and an overall weaker society. Every entry in this collection of short essays has the same format. A brief biographical sketch of the author followed by a short series of exercises that illustrate the types of problems encountered on a regular basis in that area. The problems are very good demonstrations of mathematics at work and are at a level that inmost cases can be understood by a well-guided high schooler. In fact, that is a work that would be valuable, even without the emphasis on gender. Many times even boys need to be convinced that math is useful. This is one of those books that should be a resource for every high school guidance counselor. It is unfortunate that sexual stereotypes are still a strong component of our society and education system. However, with books like this available, the pool of candidates for authors of such essays will grow so large as to render such works unnecessary. Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.