Words can be powerful, especially when spoken by the president of a prestigious university. In a 2005 speech by Lawrence Summers, he put forward the hypothesis that there are more men than women in higher-end positions because of a different set of measurable attributes, rather than because of pervasive sexism or discrimination. To get to the top of highly challenging fields, you have to be of exceptional quality and these are “people who are three and a half, four standard deviations above the mean in a class in 5,000, one in 10,000” (Summers, 2005). Summers points out that we should analyze the data set that produces these kinds of results, rather than saying it's all because of discrimination. Summers does not deny that discrimination exists, but argues that it cannot explain every difference. Even though there are more women majoring in science and math than ever before, fewer of them are holding top research positions that require the most demanding work and the longest hours. Summers was heavily criticized and forced to resign as president of Harvard. Summers' forced resignation was unjust. It is easy to say that Summers is sexist in his remarks, because his comments can be interpreted as promoting inequality between the sexes. But he prefaced his vows by saying he was making data-driven observations and wasn't trying to be political. Summers points to other examples, such as white men being underrepresented in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Jews not having enough representation in agriculture. Does this mean that these groups are discriminated against, or do not possess the characteristics, or even just a natural desire, to excel in those fields? Summer h...... middle of paper...... could be a bad thing. The final conclusion of the hypothesis put forward by Summers is still pending. While he didn't present mountains of data, he made an empirical case through his own observations that appear to support what scientists already believe. That there is a different mental capacity between men and women, but the exact influences on these capacities are not known. Summers was definitely unfairly criticized for speaking out about his remarks. The outrage sparked by her speech speaks to a socially constructed view that the ways in which men and women are different should not be discussed openly. Works CitedSummers, L.H. (2005, January 14). Remarks at the NBER Conference on Diversifying the Science and Engineering Workforce. In the president's office. Retrieved July 17, 2011, from http://president.harvard.edu/speeches/summers_2005/nber.php