Answer to Stereotype Threat

As a woman who can read maps, has excellent orientation skills, can manipulate 3D objects in her mind and did well in her technical drawing courses, I can assure you I can assure you: I am a woman, and I am good at it, so your geology teacher is wrong (and most probably sexist), and your math teachers are right. Spatial abilities for men and women are a bell-curve average, and they intersect. That means that some women will be better at it than most men, and some men will be worse at it than most women. Just as some women are bad at multi-tasking while some men are good at it.

And yes, like so many abilities, it can be trained. It’s just that some get it right from the start, and others need to put more effort into it. Playing with Lego and other building kits, for example, is a great way to train oneself in spatial visualization and manipulation.

All those “men brains are this way, women brains are that way” are averages, and too often used as an excuse to limit genders in what they should do. Don’t let anyone tell you what to like, what to dislike, what you can do, and what you cannot. Try for yourself, and don’t give up until you know why you don’t like this or can’t do that. (I totally want to learn blacksmithing!)