It appears to be widely accepted that there is a gender gap in mathematics. At a recent gathering, friends were discussing how to determine the amount of gas remaining in the tank prior to barbecuing the burgers. The refrain was “I’ve never been good at math,” and then, “I’ll ask my boyfriend.” Even among enlightened young women, it seems socially acceptable to believe that men are inherently better at math than women. Thirty-eight years ago, psychologists at Johns Hopkins University suggested that the gap in mathematics may be due to the “superior male mathematical ability.” Women, myself included, seem to have bought into this narrative to our detriment and this controversial statement has led to many debates for the past three decades.
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As a young girl, I heard that boys were better at math than girls. This stereotype, along with others, may follow you as you grow and map out your future. While exploring options for my future, an educator told me to steer clear of engineering because it is a “male dominant profession”. This professor implied that because I was a woman, I would not have the intelligence to become a successful engineer.
Girls begin their school days on equal footing with boys. Cimpian, J. R., Lubienski, S. T., Timmer, J. D., Makowski, M. B., & Miller, E. K. (2016) report that by time the time students hit kindergarten, the expectation that boys are stronger in mathematics than girls begin to form. There is no gender gap as the students enter kindergarten, but the gap advances rapidly to all students throughout elementary school.
I do not believe that there is anything “normal” about this performance gap. This is a product of gender bias spreading through schools. I find it quite daunting that there currently remains a gender gap in mathematics considering the younger generation of teachers focuses immensely on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). I have not seen any changes in the gender gap nor have I seen any changes in the way teachers underestimate girls math …show more content…
Young girls are now pursuing these subjects more so than they have in the past. Goldin, Katz, and Kuziemko (2006) show that female high school students were outperforming male students in most subjects and the ratio of male to female college graduates has decreased and reversed itself. However, according to the National Council of Teachers, gender gaps are increased among higher performing students. This may be why there are gender gaps within math, science and engineering jobs as most higher performing students tend to gravitate towards these careers. Goldin, Katz, and Kuziemko (2006) mention that female high school students are taking more math and science courses in recent years. The increase in courses has changed the outcome of scores for females on tests. Males are now only scoring somewhat higher than girls. Although this seems promising, there still seems to be much room for
As a young girl, I heard that boys were better at math than girls. This stereotype, along with others, may follow you as you grow and map out your future. While exploring options for my future, an educator told me to steer clear of engineering because it is a “male dominant profession”. This professor implied that because I was a woman, I would not have the intelligence to become a successful engineer.
Girls begin their school days on equal footing with boys. Cimpian, J. R., Lubienski, S. T., Timmer, J. D., Makowski, M. B., & Miller, E. K. (2016) report that by time the time students hit kindergarten, the expectation that boys are stronger in mathematics than girls begin to form. There is no gender gap as the students enter kindergarten, but the gap advances rapidly to all students throughout elementary school.
I do not believe that there is anything “normal” about this performance gap. This is a product of gender bias spreading through schools. I find it quite daunting that there currently remains a gender gap in mathematics considering the younger generation of teachers focuses immensely on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). I have not seen any changes in the gender gap nor have I seen any changes in the way teachers underestimate girls math …show more content…
Young girls are now pursuing these subjects more so than they have in the past. Goldin, Katz, and Kuziemko (2006) show that female high school students were outperforming male students in most subjects and the ratio of male to female college graduates has decreased and reversed itself. However, according to the National Council of Teachers, gender gaps are increased among higher performing students. This may be why there are gender gaps within math, science and engineering jobs as most higher performing students tend to gravitate towards these careers. Goldin, Katz, and Kuziemko (2006) mention that female high school students are taking more math and science courses in recent years. The increase in courses has changed the outcome of scores for females on tests. Males are now only scoring somewhat higher than girls. Although this seems promising, there still seems to be much room for