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 mathscience undergraduate major. Participants ’ high school educational experi-ences, abilities, and interests predicted whether their attained undergraduate degrees were within mathscience or nonmathnonscience areas. More women than men eventually completed undergrad-uate degrees outside mathscience, but many individuals who completed nonmathnonscience degrees ultimately chose mathscience 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. The male–female disparity in math and science is well docu-mented and is particularly apparent at rising levels along th