Mathematically Facile Adolescents With Math-Science Aspirations: New Perspectives on Their Educational and Vocational Development

This longitudinal study tracked 1,110 adolescents identified as mathematically precocious at Age 13 (top 1%) with plans for a math−science undergraduate major. Participants' high school educational experiences, abilities, and interests predicted whether their attained undergraduate degrees were within math−science or nonmath−nonscience areas. More women than men eventually completed undergraduate degrees outside math−science, but many individuals who completed nonmath−nonscience degrees ultimately chose math−science occupations (and vice versa). At Age 33, the 2 degree groups reported commensurate and uniformly high levels of career satisfaction, success, and life satisfaction. Assessing individual differences is critical for modeling talent development and life satisfaction; it reveals that equal male-female representation across disciplines may not be as simple to accomplish as many policy discussions imply.