Gender Differences in Math

From: Mindy Walker
Email: mwalk@cats.ucsc.edu
Course: Psych 100G: Issues of Diversity in Developmental Psychology
College: University of California, Santa Cruz
Instructor: Eugene Matusov
ClassWeb: http://www.ematusov.com/psych100G
ChildrenObservations: No
Date: 12 Dec 1996
Time: 14:42:42
Remote Name: ss1-pc38.ucsc.edu

Abstract

Mathematics is a masculine domain, because of how parents and society gender stereotype children. Gender roles shape what children think of themselves and others. I found that parents think and therefore influence their own children to believe that males have more talent in math. Because of this there are very few females in math and science careers. Females may come across some problems when trying to enter this career. Females or males who are interested in how gender roles shape our ideas, may find this paper of interest.

Paper

Children learn a lot about the world and themselves through their parents. Parents are the child's first role model, therefore the child is very influenced by how a parent thinks and acts. Because of how parents and schools teach children there is a lot less females in science and math careers. "Females and males sex type mathematics as a masculine discipline, thereby making females less motivated to achieve in mathematics" (Raymond, 1986). This is because society treats women and men very differently, one example of this is how parents and teachers think about children's math ability. As a result more males have careers in math than females.

Studies have shown that parents play a big role in gender sterotyping their own children. One study was done by Eccles, Jacobs and Harold in 1990 to measure how much parents gender sterotype their own children, in math and science. Mothers were asked to imagine a time when their child did very well in mathematics and then to rate, on a 7-point Likert scale, the importance of the following possible causes in determining the success experience: natural talent, effort, task ease, teacher help, parent help, and current skill level (Eccles, 1990). The mothers attributed the success of the boys to natural talent, and the girls used effort. They did a second study where they asked the mothers who they thought were naturally better at mathematics and sports- boys, girls or neither. In a separate questionnaire they also rated how much natural talent their child had in each domain. The results showed on average the gender of their child did not affect these mother's perceptions of their child's math talent. The gender became an issue when it was described as natural talent. The mothers believed that males are more naturally talented in math than females. This illustrates that mothers and fathers perceive their children very differently with respect to their natural talent with math. After the sixth grade children were more likely to receive help with homework in math from their fathers than from their mothers (Raymond, 1986).

As a result of how parents gender sterotype their children, kids develop different perceptions of their ability in math and science, according to their gender. A study was done in 1994, to see if ninth graders opinions of their math and science skills improved over three years with the help of female/minority teachers. The 268 students were polled after the third year and the results showed no differences in ratings of science ability or of the importance of doing well in science (Stephen, 1994). Females believed that low grades were a result from the material not being easy (perceptions of ability). The males blamed their poor grades on bad study skills. I know I have always hated math (throughout my school years), though I am not going to blame that on my parents or my teachers, it just an interesting correlation. These two studies are correlated because parents greatly influence their children. Parents that believe that girls don't do as well in math are going to transfer that to their girls, therefore girls will think they are not talented in math (when they may think they aren't talented).

As children grow up, and attend college, these gender sterotyped ideas are still very present. A study was done to see who (females or males) used computers more in a computer lab setting. The computer lab was designed for all students in the school to use for whatever they wanted. The researchers observed the students in the lab, and coded the use of the computer systems. The results showed males used the e-mail twice as much as women, and overall men used the computer lab significantly more than women. Males dominated the programming of the computers and excelled in the assertion of direction and dominance. The females pursed interactions with cooperative participation and supportive interests (Irwin, 1993). If women want to have a career in science, they may come across some problems. 61.5% of women in a large survey, said they had encountered factors seriously interfering with their work as scientists. The women who described obstacles also mentioned being handicapped by bad interpersonal relationships with colleagues and mentors twice as often as men (Sonnert,1995). One-fifth of the women mentioned family demands, and very few men noted these demands. Things are changing even though it is slow. "Women scientists of this generation were more numerous (although the increase differed by disciplines), and their careers have been more similar to those of their male cohorts (Sonnert, 1995)."

Even though parents may not intend for their children to be stereotyped, they do. It is important for parents to see their children as individuals with different goals and likes and dislikes. Parents should encourage their children to do what they like, and stress to them that they can do whatever they put their minds into. I think it is important for parents, as soon as their children are born, to incorporate non-traditional sex roles. This includes introducing boys to dolls and expressing how they feel, and introducing girls to play with trucks and teaching them to have high self-esteem. These ideas should reflect both genders, but above all parents shouldn't try and shape what they think there children should do, but encourage their children to think for themselves, and do what they feel comfortable doing.

References

Eccles, Jacquelynne S., Jacobs, Janis E. & Harold, Rena D. (1990). Gender Role Sterotypes, Expectancy Effects, and Parents' Socalization of Gender Differences. Journal of Social Issues, 46, 183-201.

Irwin, Feffery J., Said Joseph P. and Morey, Justin. Gender Differences in a Human-Computer Interacion Study: The Mitigation of Traditional Concepts. The Indian Academy Chapter of ACM Muncie, In.

The class Web disscussion at http://www.ematusov.com/psych100G, Psych 100G: Issues of Diversity in Developmental Psychology, Fall 1996.

Raymond, Cindy L. & Benbow, Camilia P. (1986). Gender Differences in Mathematics: A Function of Parental Support and Student Sex Typing? Development Psychology, 22, 808-819.

Sonnert, A. (1995). Gender Differences in Science Careers: Access Study. New Brenrick, New Jersey: Rutters University Press.

Stephen, Sandra L. (1994). Survey of Gender Differences in Attitudes toward Sciences and Analysis of Gender. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The class Web disscussion at http://www.ematusov.com/psych100G, Psych 100G: Issues of Diversity in Developmental Psychology, Fall 1996.

Last modified January 12, 1997