Gender Stereotypes

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Gender roles and stereotypes actively alter the ways in which humans both interact in society as well as perceive oneself as an individual. These stereotypes created among genders has been a focal point in understanding societal behavior and achievement. In particular, the mathematical skill level between male and females has become a widening spectrum for researchers to interpret and predict; while there is an apparent difference in skill level, the causes for this gap between male and female mathematical performance is debated by researchers in the scientific psychology field.
While it is clear that measuring mathematical performance is a highly complex, multi-variable study, researchers debate the degree of biological and environmental influences that can be observed in male and females academic achievement. According to Halpern et al. (2007), the differences in brain anatomy reveal evidence that optimizes each gender for varying tasks. For example, male brains have better connectivity within the hemispheres, providing an advantage in visuospatial abilities. Females, in contrast, appear to have better interhemispheric connectivity, allowing an advanced integration of verbal-analytical skills with spatial-holistic skills. Thus, these differences cause females to excel in tasks that require bilateral activation, while males out perform females in tasks with focal activation of the visual association cortex, altering mathematical abilities between genders (i.e. on average, men perform better than women) (Halpern et al. 2007).
From an environmentally based perspective, it is made clear of the extreme complexity of relationships (e.g. personality, parent relationship, race, etc.) that can alter the results of math performance i...

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... this reason, the present study created a foundation for future studies to build on; the variables in the study can be easily altered and manipulated to adhere to specific criteria for other centralized studies of the subject.
The present study must be repeatedly conducted and analyzed many times over in order to better understand the processes that lessen or widen the gender gap in mathematics as well as the circumstances outside of gender that can also be improved such as racial and socioeconomic gaps in academics. By conducting these studies, not only will cognition of sequences be more readily understood, but also insight into the interpretation and conceptual application of different external conditions could be improved. Consequently, actions can be taken to improve individual's mathematic skill along with advancement in the mathematic-related career fields.

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