QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 107Kovalevskaya did. A woman who did not do that would have no chance of being
cited by Loria as an example, since she would never have been heard of. Is this
argument not a classical example of catch-22?
4.10. Here is a policy question to consider. The primary undergraduate compe-
tition for mathematics majors is the Putnam Examination, administered the first
weekend in December each year by the Mathematical Association of America. In
addition to its rankings for the top teams and the top individuals, this examina-
tion also provides, for women who choose to enter, a prize for the highest-ranking
woman. (The people grading the examinations do not know the identities of the
entrants, and a woman can enter this competition without identifying herself to the
graders.) Is this policy an important affirmative-action step to encourage talented
young women in mathematical careers, or does it "send the wrong message," imply-
ing that women cannot compete with men on an equal basis in mathematics? If you
consider it a good thing, how long should it be continued? Forever? If not, what
criterion should be used to determine when to discontinue the separate category?
Bear in mind that the number of women taking the Putnam Examination is still
considerably smaller than the number of men.
4.11. Continuing the topic of the Question 4.10, what criterion should be used to
determine when affirmative action policies designed to overcome the effects of past
discrimination against women will have achieved their aim? For example, are these
policies to be continued until 50% of all mathematics professors are women within
the universities of each ranking? (The American Mathematical Society divides
institutions into different rankings according to the degrees they grant; there is
also a less formal but still effective ranking in terms of the prestige of institutions.)
What goal is being pursued: that each man and each woman should have equal
access to the profession and equal opportunity for advancement in it, or that equal
numbers of men and women will choose the profession and achieve advancement?
Or is the goal different from both of these? If the goal is the first of these, how will
we know when it has been achieved?