After nine years of teaching mathematics courses (one semester as an undergraduate, 4.5 years as a graduate student, and 4 years as an assistant professor) and navigating university politics, I'm convinced that this is, at its heart, a cultural issue.
There's a hatred of mathematics in mainstream American culture that runs very, very deep. And it will probably take generations to change that (if changing it is even possible at this point).
(Note: What follows is US-centric.)
After nine years of teaching mathematics courses (one semester as an undergraduate, 4.5 years as a graduate student, and 4 years as an assistant professor) and navigating university politics, I'm convinced that this is, at its heart, a cultural issue.
There's a hatred of mathematics in mainstream American culture that runs very, very deep. And it will probably take generations to change that (if changing it is even possible at this point).