There are quite a few contradictory messages out there regarding the size of the gender gap in Maths and Science in today’s world.
Some studies show a large gap with women falling behind, some others claim there is no gap at all, but the most crucial and well-researched data in regards to this subject is the correlation between gender stereotypes and the performance and engagement of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
The summary of the research:
Mothers engage boys in science more than girls
A 2005 study found that although mothers talk to female babies more, sex differences exist in the type of talk presented to female babies in relation to that presented to male babies. Mothers were shown to engage in more science learning and literacy related talk with male babies than female babies (Tenenbaum, Snow, Roach, & Kurland, 2005)
Early childhood encouragement in STEM is key
A 2003 study implicated early interest in science as a key factor in pursuing a STEM related career (Packard and Nguyen, 2003). In this way, parent interventions are a first step toward increasing girls’ confidence and satisfaction with science by preventing belief in stereotypes.
Girls suffer from significant gender stereotyping related peer pressure at school
A 2005 study by Kessels reported that a sample of 8th and 9th grade children perceived students who liked physics as more masculine whereas students who liked music were perceived as more feminine. Boys were also reported to dislike students who went against sanctioned prototypes (e.g., girls who liked physics). The study also found that girls who liked physics felt unpopular with the boys. As girls get older, beliefs of their classmates are held in greater esteem than those of parents. Girls not only have to deal with their own fears of science but also fears of rejection by peers if they do pursue science.
Girls that believe in the stereotype evaluate themselves more negatively
A 2007 by Selimbegovic & Chatard study showed that girls who were more likely to endorse the stereotype of girls being bad at math and science also evaluated themselves more negatively than girls who did not endorse the stereotype. In the same study, researchers found that girls who held the stereotype were more resistant to change either negative self-evaluations or desires to pursue a science career. Believing in stereotypes is clearly a counterproductive characteristic when it comes to increasing girls’ success in science because it makes them more resistant to change.
Girls underestimate their abilities in science
A 2006 study demonstrated the tendency of girls to underestimate their abilities in science, signifying low self-confidence in this area (Klahr, Triona, & Willaims, 2006). The most interesting part of this study was that while the girls and boys did not differ significantly in the amount of effort shown in the lab, the girls did not gain the same amount of confidence from a relatively similar amount of effort. This demonstrated that surmounting the initial lower confidence level of girls in relation to boys is not a matter of trying to increase the effort put forth by girls, rather that the solution must come by increasing the overall initial confidence level.
Girls with better grades in Science continue to display lowers levels of confidence when compared to boys
A 2006 study showed that although the girls in the sample for this study had higher science grades, they still only maintained equal self-confidence with the boys. Despite their higher grades, girls reported higher levels of science-related anxiety and physiological stress but lower levels of mastery experiences (Britner & Pajares, 2006). This suggests some underlying problem with the perception of the subject as a whole.
Make the stereotype disappear and the gender gap in Math evaporates
In a recent study published in the Journal of Social Issues, Diane Quinn and her colleague, Steven J. Spencer of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, found that if they could make the stereotype disappear, the gender difference went with it.
In that study, 36 college students who scored between 650 and 700 on the math portion of the SAT were given a test of multiple-choice word problems. Half the students were told that prior use of the test had shown that men and women did equally well on the problems. The others weren't given any instruction about gender stereotypes.
All the participants were asked to think out loud while solving the problem. The researchers found that when participants weren't given any instructions about gender stereotypes, women underperformed when compared to men, and were less likely to be able to formulate strategy.
When participants were told that the test was gender-neutral, men and women performed equally well and didn't differ in their ability to formulate and use strategies. "We conclude from these two studies that the knowledge of cultural stereotypes changes the testing situation for women, such that their performance is depressed," Quinn and Spencer write.
Social forces not nature impact the performance and engagement of women in STEM around the world
Christie Nicholson from Scientific American reported on the meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
Researchers analyzed results from two math tests that assessed nearly half a million boys and girls between the ages of 14 to 16, from 69 countries. They tested algebra, geometry, data analysis and number concepts. The study found that on average across all the nations the gender difference was negligible.
The percentage of women in parliament was associated with the size of the gender gap in math such.that Countries where there were fewer women in parliament males tended to do better in math than girls by a larger extent than in countries in which there was better representation by women in parliament.
That connection would seem to imply that achievement levels are not innate and fixed. The gender gaps in Math identified in some countries are not related to nature but to the social forces of the particular region.
Psychological Bulletin, Vol 136(2), Mar 2010, 301
References:
Some studies show a large gap with women falling behind, some others claim there is no gap at all, but the most crucial and well-researched data in regards to this subject is the correlation between gender stereotypes and the performance and engagement of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
The summary of the research:
- Mothers engage boys in science more than girls;
- Early childhood encouragement in STEM is key for future engagement in related career choices;
- Girls suffer from significant gender stereotyping and peer pressure at school in regards to their interest and engagement in Maths and Science;
- Girls that endorse the negative stereotype evaluate themselves more negatively in Maths ;
- Girls underestimate their abilities in Science;
- Girls with higher grades in Science continue to display lower confidence when compared to boys;
- If you make the stereotype disappear the gender gap in Maths goes away
- Social forces not nature impact the performance and engagement of women in STEM around the world
Mothers engage boys in science more than girls
A 2005 study found that although mothers talk to female babies more, sex differences exist in the type of talk presented to female babies in relation to that presented to male babies. Mothers were shown to engage in more science learning and literacy related talk with male babies than female babies (Tenenbaum, Snow, Roach, & Kurland, 2005)
Early childhood encouragement in STEM is key
A 2003 study implicated early interest in science as a key factor in pursuing a STEM related career (Packard and Nguyen, 2003). In this way, parent interventions are a first step toward increasing girls’ confidence and satisfaction with science by preventing belief in stereotypes.
Girls suffer from significant gender stereotyping related peer pressure at school
A 2005 study by Kessels reported that a sample of 8th and 9th grade children perceived students who liked physics as more masculine whereas students who liked music were perceived as more feminine. Boys were also reported to dislike students who went against sanctioned prototypes (e.g., girls who liked physics). The study also found that girls who liked physics felt unpopular with the boys. As girls get older, beliefs of their classmates are held in greater esteem than those of parents. Girls not only have to deal with their own fears of science but also fears of rejection by peers if they do pursue science.
Girls that believe in the stereotype evaluate themselves more negatively
A 2007 by Selimbegovic & Chatard study showed that girls who were more likely to endorse the stereotype of girls being bad at math and science also evaluated themselves more negatively than girls who did not endorse the stereotype. In the same study, researchers found that girls who held the stereotype were more resistant to change either negative self-evaluations or desires to pursue a science career. Believing in stereotypes is clearly a counterproductive characteristic when it comes to increasing girls’ success in science because it makes them more resistant to change.
Girls underestimate their abilities in science
A 2006 study demonstrated the tendency of girls to underestimate their abilities in science, signifying low self-confidence in this area (Klahr, Triona, & Willaims, 2006). The most interesting part of this study was that while the girls and boys did not differ significantly in the amount of effort shown in the lab, the girls did not gain the same amount of confidence from a relatively similar amount of effort. This demonstrated that surmounting the initial lower confidence level of girls in relation to boys is not a matter of trying to increase the effort put forth by girls, rather that the solution must come by increasing the overall initial confidence level.
Girls with better grades in Science continue to display lowers levels of confidence when compared to boys
A 2006 study showed that although the girls in the sample for this study had higher science grades, they still only maintained equal self-confidence with the boys. Despite their higher grades, girls reported higher levels of science-related anxiety and physiological stress but lower levels of mastery experiences (Britner & Pajares, 2006). This suggests some underlying problem with the perception of the subject as a whole.
Make the stereotype disappear and the gender gap in Math evaporates
In a recent study published in the Journal of Social Issues, Diane Quinn and her colleague, Steven J. Spencer of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, found that if they could make the stereotype disappear, the gender difference went with it.
In that study, 36 college students who scored between 650 and 700 on the math portion of the SAT were given a test of multiple-choice word problems. Half the students were told that prior use of the test had shown that men and women did equally well on the problems. The others weren't given any instruction about gender stereotypes.
All the participants were asked to think out loud while solving the problem. The researchers found that when participants weren't given any instructions about gender stereotypes, women underperformed when compared to men, and were less likely to be able to formulate strategy.
When participants were told that the test was gender-neutral, men and women performed equally well and didn't differ in their ability to formulate and use strategies. "We conclude from these two studies that the knowledge of cultural stereotypes changes the testing situation for women, such that their performance is depressed," Quinn and Spencer write.
Social forces not nature impact the performance and engagement of women in STEM around the world
Christie Nicholson from Scientific American reported on the meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
Researchers analyzed results from two math tests that assessed nearly half a million boys and girls between the ages of 14 to 16, from 69 countries. They tested algebra, geometry, data analysis and number concepts. The study found that on average across all the nations the gender difference was negligible.
The percentage of women in parliament was associated with the size of the gender gap in math such.that Countries where there were fewer women in parliament males tended to do better in math than girls by a larger extent than in countries in which there was better representation by women in parliament.
That connection would seem to imply that achievement levels are not innate and fixed. The gender gaps in Math identified in some countries are not related to nature but to the social forces of the particular region.
Psychological Bulletin, Vol 136(2), Mar 2010, 301
References:
- Gender gaps in Math and Science Education - Heather Davis - James Madison University
- Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics - Psychological Bulletin, Vol 136(2), Mar 2010, 301
- Gender Stereotypes Affect Math Performance, Says Quinn - University of Connecticut
- No Gender Gap in Maths - Christie Nicholson - Scientific American
RSS Feed
