Even those of us who would like to argue for the intellectual equality of men and women find it hard to explain the very small number of women who are active in advanced fields of science. Some would argue that the nearly total absence of great female scientists in recent history plainly demonstrates that women do not have the kind of minds that are needed for scientific creativity. As a woman and a scientist, I have often thought about these questions. ② I have come to understand that from the day of our birth our attitudes toward ourselves have been influenced by a variety of factors.