These lower expectations and biases are estimated to contribute to around half of the gender achievement gap in math. Teachers often underestimate girls’ math abilities. Implicit and Explicit Bias and Discouragement There is also evidence that standardized tests are culturally skewed – where higher-income and white students perform the highest. Some researchers point out males outperform females on multiple choice exams in all fields, which can skew assessments and understanding of the STEM gender gap.
In the United States, 59% of 4th graders and 66% of 8th graders do not achieve proficient levels in math.8th grade girls outperformed boys by five points in technology and engineering in a 2018 assessment. Nationally, 4th grade boys outperformed girls in math scores by only three points, and by 8th grade the scores were the same for boys and girls.These professions then have major gender gaps - such as that only 16% of engineers are women, and nearly half of women in science fields leave or work part-time after having a child By the time students reach college, women are significantly underrepresented in STEM majors - for instance, only around 21% of engineering majors are women and only around 19% of computer and information science majors are women. In fact, girls score higher than boys in math in lower-income, predominantly Black areas (representing around one-quarter of school districts), but their scores are still disproportionately low compared to those of white boys in high-income areas.ĭespite equal levels of ability among boys and girls, a math gap grows over time as girls are discouraged and tracked away from STEM subjects. Girls and boys score virtually the same in math in fourth and eighth grades in the U.S., and eighth-grade girls actually outperform boys by five points in technology and engineering.Ī gendered math gap does exist in some elementary school - but it is evident only among boys from higher-income and predominantly white families. The fact is that nearly everyone can learn high of math levels. Some researchers have called this one of the most self-destructive misconceptions in America today.
But research shows no cognitive biological differences between men and women in math, so the idea of a male “math brain” is not true. They do so, at least in part, because they think they are better.” Shelley Correll, Professor of Sociology, Stanford University.Īn old myth maintains that boys are better at math, and girls are better in verbal skills. “Boys do not pursue mathematical activities at a higher rate than girls because they are better at mathematics.
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