SWiM Supports Women in Prestigious Mathematics Department

January 19, 2011 

“Two generations ago, there was severe bias and women could not become mathematicians without fighting the system, but I don’t think that is the case now,” said Joan Licata (Stanford University). 

Yet out of 46 faculty members in Stanford's mathematics department in 2011, only three are not male. 

One reason, according to Licata, may be that "the senior faculty we see now are the product of an earlier age where the prevalent social distortions promoted men." Another could be that “boys are pushed to be more independent,” she said. Moreover, "Parents pass on more than genes by socializing expectations," Licata added.

So, in order to get more women into the field, Licata setup "Stanford Women in Math" (SWiM). 

“I care less about whether a department has ethnic or gender parity and more that math departments are generally welcoming, open and supportive places for everybody. So I’m more interested in the experiences of people today," Licata indicated. 

Graduate student Amy Pang, for one, gives the idea of SWiM a thumbs up. “Girls should be offered what boys are offered and vice versa, and then be allowed to choose for their own," Pang said. 

Source: The Stanford Daily (January 5, 2011)