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From: rha@bunker (Robert H. Averack)
Newsgroups: comp.society.women
Subject: Re: Countering discrimination your children will face
Message-ID: <12874@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 1 Aug 88 17:18:31 GMT
References: <12003@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12502@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12654@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12780@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
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>In article <12654@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> I wrote:
>>I believe that [a child's] natural tendency
>>needs to be encouraged and built upon, irrespective of whether it falls
>>under the Sciences, the Humanities or the Arts.

In article <12780@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> clambert%hector@Sun.COM (Caroline Lambert [summer intern]) writes:
>I disagree. What if you had a girl who did well in math and science,
>but did exceptionally well in, say, languages? Wouldn't it be better for
>her to become a scientist/engineer with an interest in languages than
>a linguist who knows Stokes' theorem?

     Thanks for your followup, Caroline.

     I suppose that I was addressing the case where there is a strong tendency
towards a particular area, rather than overall strength across varying
disciplines.  In the example that you cite, some encouragement in areas which
will provide better future employability (in this case, math/science) would
seem to be the way to go (although the language strength could lead towards
excellent opportunities in International Government or Business Relations).

     However, if there is a strong tendency towards one particular discipline,
then, I repeat, you don't cut against the grain.

-- 
                       {yale!,decvax!,philabs!}bunker!rha                    
                                  Bob Averack                           
                        Bunker Ramo, an Olivetti Company                      
               Two Enterprise Drive - Shelton, Connecticut 06484