Women underperform on standardized math tests compared to men. However, girls perform as well if not better than boys in math (Steele, 2003). What causes this difference in performance and is it true that women are intrinsically worse at math than men? This paper will discuss these questions. First we will look at four key theories surrounding gender differences as well as possible biological causes of differing gender performance. The focus will then shift to the main effects of gender stereotype threats. It is essential to look to future implications as well as future actions that need to be taken to eliminate bogus stereotypes. There has been a large amount of research conducted on the differences in math performance between men and women; however, a solid conclusion has yet to be reached as to what the ultimate cause of these differences are.
Gender differences have played a large role in our societies and the norms that stemmed from these beliefs have been passed on to future generations and consequently still affect us today. Women and men are each expected to act in a specific way as well as be good at certain tasks. It is for these reasons that research on stereotypes is so important. Stereotypes affect our behaviors and life plans and if they are shown to be untrue or inaccurate then this needs to be communicated to the general public (Hyde, 2014). These stereotypes may lead to stereotype threat, which can be defined as other people’s expectations affecting an individual’s behavior. Members of the stereotyped group feel threatened because their performance may confirm other people’s views. However, this concern leads them to perform poorly and actually confirm the negative outcome (Smith & White, 2002). It is key to dete...
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...by stereotype threat, this is when their performance suffers. If this threat is removed, they again perform equally as well as males. The fact that we pay attention to gender stereotypes might actually be detrimental.
Current data shows that girls have reached parity with boys in mathematics grades 2 through 11. Research also shows that males and females are similar in most but not all psychological areas (Hyde, 2014). It begs the question as to why after all this proof women are still portrayed as inferior to men in many areas in life, including math. Society fuels this bogus stereotype and its negative effects. Steele (2003) writes that if the cure for cancer is forming in the mind of one of our daughters, it is less likely to become a reality than if it is forming in the mind of one of our sons. Until this changes, everybody loses (Sadker & Sadker, 1994, p. 14).
“Gender disparity” refers to the differences between the percentages of men and women obtaining college degrees. Hulbert coveys the different ways in which young boys and girls process information. Women tend to be better at reading, writing, and verbal skills, while men tend to better at math and sciences. By sixth grade, young boys tend to lose interest in literature and are often struggling in subjects such as English and reading, while young girls are often losing interest in math and science by sixth grade. Boys perform consistently below girls on tests of reading and verbal skills. By high school, girls tend to score in the middle or average; however, boys tend to score either really well or rather poorly.
Stephen Bonnycastle in his criticism, In Search of Authority, explains stereotypes as, "The system (sometimes known as “the patriarchal order”) that causes the majority of men and women to take on these different roles ... hidden, like the rules of grammar in a language."(10). When a stereotype is introduced into a situation for a extended period of time, it is psychologically proven that it will become an expectation. Stereotypes prove to act as an obscuring lens into which most people view the world. When a person is unaware of a culture, race, gender they mainly use the stereotypes to judge them against. Stereotypes are not just a generalization of a group of people, "stereotypes warrant a closer analysis, because they powerfully shape the reality of gender differences..."(Brody 396). The effects of stereotypes go deeper than just male and female, race against race, "everyone is vulnerable to stereotype threat, at least in some circumstances"(reducingstereotypethreat.org). Stereotypes overall cause negative side effects, some fatal. These side effects are psychological as well as physical. People who
In the articles “Implicit racial bias often begins as early as preschool, a study finds” and “Research suggests the gender gap in math starts as early as kindergarten”. The central idea in the two articles are that girls and black students are treated unfairly. There are similarities and in how they develop the idea of how some students are discriminated against. However there are many differences in how they develop the central idea. There are studies that back up both accusations of black students and girls being treated differently in the classroom.
...eresting about their research was that it showed even at a young age girls tend to believe “math is for boys”. This suggests that the language used in regards to subject matter and gender is ingrained in young minds from a young age. Since math is a learned skill males and females should both have the ability to excel in the subject mater. However, cultural stereotypes regarding math as a primarily male domain run deep and hold females back. It was interesting to see the statements both genders related to in the studies. These articles suggest that gender stereotyping with subject matter is nurture based. If females didn’t hear from a young age that “math is for boys” then perhaps they could enter the subject matter in a confident manner. Overall, these articles follow the generalizations seen throughout the semester about the differences between females and males.
Now many people accept the fact that women are just as good as men at math and science but that wasn’t always the case. Eileen Pollack in her article “Why are there still so few women in science” describes how when she was in school she wanted to learn calculus and other science subjects but her principle told her that “girls never go on in science and math”. This will discourage many young women that wish to pursue a
In “When Bright Girls Decide Math is a Waste of Time” we learn about the ever staying stereotypical statement that mathematical and science based subjects in school, as well as occupations in the work force, are simply “masculine” and women should stay with those subjects and jobs relating to English and social sciences.
Campbell, Patricia. "Girls Are ... Boys Are ..." U.S. Department of Education, 1994. Web. 5 Oct. 2015. This is an article that talks about gender stereotypes and the actual differences between males and females. This article also explains why stereotypes and myths exist, which will help greatly in my research paper. This source seems extremely reliable, since it is from the U.S. Department of Education.
Students are more focused and therefore have better test scores in single-sex classrooms. Although stereotypes are formed because of separating genders, a study in the 2009 British Educational Research Journal concluded that in single-sex classrooms, girls achieve more in math and science while boys achieve more in English (Kwong). Stereotypes have been developed early on of what girls and boys are more proficient at. Naturally girls are better at English; boys, math and science (compound sentence: elliptical construction). Single-sex classes encourage girls to pursue more in science and math and boys in English because it takes away gender stereotypes. If a boy and a girl are in the same science class working together, the girl becomes the scribe to write down data while the boy is doing the experiment (Kwong). Math and scien...
Subconscious gender biases can influence women’s perceptions of themselves, their potential, and their abilities. Negative stereotypes of women’s abilities in math can be diffused into preschool and elementary girls’ minds by their parents and teachers (Gunderson, Ramirez, Levine, Beilock, 2011). It is important to examine these gender-biased underpinnings in order to be able to support women in modern day society without undermining their own self-concept. Stereotype threat may diminish a woman’s confidence in her own abilities and may affect willingness to accept help. Gunderson et al. (2011) also raised the issue of disconnect between similar math achievement test scores between boys and girls and the lack of representation of girls in math
In the past decade, research showed that in the process of education in some countries, girls do better than boys, this problem was called ‘a boy’s problem’. The Dutch Ministry of Education published the study which examines the boys’ and girls’ position in primary school based on previous studies (Driessen, Langen, 2013). As a matter of fact, this problem is not a new question, and there are many discussions about gender differences. An important part of the problem is that boys’ scores are far below those of girls. In all education, based on some researchers' opinions, involving spatial and mathematical reasoning, skills, boys always doing better than girls, but in the aspects of language application and writing, girls often do better than boys (Bonomo, 2010).
First we need to examine the cases where this is present. Less obvious stereotypes are those of women. Women?s roles in society have changed throughout the times. Are the...
Girls are seen as caring, nurturing, quiet, and helpful. They place other’s needs above their own. Girls get ahead by hard work, not by being naturally gifted. Boys are seen as lazy, but girls are seen as not capable. In class, teacher will call on boys more than they call on girls. Boys are seen as better at math and science; while girls are better at reading and art. This bias is still at work even out of the classroom. There are more males employed at computer firms than women. The ratio of male to female workers in STEM fields is 3-1. In college, more women major in the humanities than in the sciences. In education, women are often seen as lesser than; even though 65% of all college degrees are earned by women. Women are still often seen as needing to be more decorative than intellectual, as represented by the Barbie who included the phrase, “Math is hard!” and the shirt that JC Penneys sold that said, “I’m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me.” While there was a backlash on both items, it points out that there is a great deal of work to do on the educational gender bias to be
Everybody is born and made differently, but one thing is similar, our gender. We are born either male or female, and in society everybody judges us for our gender. This is called gender roles; societies expecting you to act like a male or female (Rathus, 2010). Some people say, “act like a lady,” or “be a man,” these are examples of how gender roles work in our everyday lives. In society when we think stereotypes, what do we think? Many think of jocks, nerds, or popular kids; gender stereotyping is very similar. Gender stereotypes are thoughts of what the gender is supposed to behave like (Rathus, 2010). One example of a gender stereotype for a man would be a worker for the family, and a women stereotype would be a stay at home mom. Though in todays age we don’t see this as much, but it is still around us. In different situations both gender roles and stereotypes are said and done on a daily basis and we can’t avoid them because everyone is different.
likely to enter the mathematics field compared to men. This is because they are not
Call me a bigot if you want but men are better mathematicians than women. Year after year, men score higher on the SAT’s, more men receive prestigious educations from the best technical schools in the nation, and men obtain more degrees, secure more jobs and get promoted more often. “The ETS report on students taking the SAT examinations indicates that males have traditionally scored 40-50 points higher on the mathematics section” (Women) “In 1996, California Institute of Technology’s enrollment was 75% male, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s enrollment was 62% male, Renssalear Polytechnic Institute’s enrollment was 77% male, Rochester Institute of Technology’s enrollment was is 68% male, and Worchester Institute of Technology’s enrollment was 79% male” (Baron’s). The future for women who enter the work place as mathematicians is no more encouraging. “Roughly three times as many women are unemployed and six times as many women are in part time positions. The female mathematicians who acquire these full time jobs are less likely than men to be promoted to a position such as full or associate professor” (awm-math.org). Females’ lack of success as mathematicians has nothing to do with their mathematical potential. The reason females do not excel in mathematical fields can be explained by high school course selection, social pressures and support and not by genetic differences.