Janet Hyde, a UW-Madison psychology professor, took it as a personal challenge when, in 2005, former Harvard University president Larry Summers suggested innate differences between men and women are the reason there are fewer women scientists and engineers.

Hyde, 60, recently published a paper with UW-Madison oncologist Janet Mertz that shows that a lingering gap in math abilities between gifted girls and boys is not genetic but due to cultural influences.

You study the math abilities of girls compared with boys. Did you like math as a student?

My dad was a high school math and biology teacher for some of the time while I was growing up. He taught me algebra in the second grade so I could help him grade papers. ... But for many years, people in psychology and women’s studies have talked about math as the critical filter that keeps women out of a lot of prestigious and high-paid jobs in science, engineering, math and technology.

You helped create one of the first women’s studies programs in the country at Bowling Green State University in 1975. What was the reaction when you wanted to start such a course there?

My department was really nice and they kind of tolerated what I wanted to do. I went in to talk to the chair (about getting a women’s studies course in the catalog) and he kind of verbally patted me on the head and said, “Oh, sure, if you want to do that, but you know this stuff is all going to be obsolete by 1980.” It’s not obsolete today.

How did Summers’ comments inspire you?

I believe the way to fight comments you don’t like is with data. Back in the ’70s and ’80s there was a gender gap in math performance on average and there just isn’t anymore.

There is still a performance gap among highly gifted girls and boys. Why?

It takes times for cultures to change. I actually think it’s amazing that these things have changed as rapidly as they have. I attribute a lot of it to the opening up of careers to women. Twenty or 30 years ago, girls didn’t even think they could be doctors, and now, 50 percent of medical students are women. Even 10 years ago, girls were not taking as many high school math courses, so of course they didn’t do as well on the standardized tests. Now they’re taking high school math classes at the same rate as boys.

Barbie famously declared that “math class is tough.” Are you concerned about her influence on girls?

On the whole, I think she’s not a wholesome influence. She can’t even stand up on her own feet. That’s a sure sign.

— Interview by Deborah Ziff