Unqualified Offerings: A lot of ignorance needn’t stop you from offering contradictory theories

I have no particular opinion on why there is a gender gap in certain fields of science. I have a lot of skepticism for various theories offered, but I have no theory of my own. And it isn’t just because it’s a hot potato issue where it would be easy to put a foot in my mouth. I really, honestly, find many explanations wanting.

The thing that gets me about this whole discussion is the unscientific nature of a lot of the analysis, or lack thereof (there’s an “if you disagree you must be a misogynist!” crowd that sometimes shows up in places and shouts down any hope of actual discussion), because bad arguments make me cringe, and these are bad arguments. Most of the explanations that are proffered have stark counterexamples, either within STEM areas or in the business world, that show the explanation to be either wrong or incomplete. One thing not mentioned in the link is the disregard for the basic math conundrum of the Garrison Keillor effect— if you have overrepresentation in some areas, it’s simply impossible to simultaneously have equity in all the rest.