Figure 1.1: Educator recollections of what’s said about girls in mathematics.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/mathematics for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Circle the statements in figure 1.1 that are positive. How many of the statements did you circle? We would like all the statements to be positive, but that is most likely not the case. Often this is due to the negative portrayal of girls in mathematics. Many times girls have seen the field of mathematics portrayed as a male-dominated field, thus they are typically excluded from the narrative. Nonetheless, what we strive for is an environment that supports girls studying mathematics and for girls to receive positive influences to continue their trajectory in mathematics. When what is said about girls in mathematics is positive, the actions taken to support girls are more likely to be positive. Furthermore, because what people say to and about children easily influences them, the more we can make sure girls hear positive statements about their learning of mathematics, the better chance we have of positively influencing girls in their study of mathematics. (Who else would you consider for what they have to say about girls in mathematics? Feel free to replicate figure 1.1, page 7, using other groups of people to further the discussion.)
Before we continue, we ask you to share your own feelings (figure 1.2). Reflect on your own thoughts about girls as learners of mathematics using the questions and prompts. Your responses will help you examine and frame your thinking and reflections as you continue to read this book and as you teach mathematics to girls. If you are engaged in a book study with Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching Girls in Grades K–5, you can also use the items to promote helpful discussions about girls’ experiences with mathematics.
Figure 1.2: Educator reflection on the gender gap in mathematics learning.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/mathematics for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Consider the voices of two elementary school girls as they reflect on their experiences with mathematics. Christina, a kindergarten student, says:
When I do math in school, I write numbers, and I can say them and count them and stomp them and clap them, and learning math is fun…. I think I will use math when I’m older to make money and be able to go places, and I will know how to do math to show other teachers all the math I know. (C. Latanza, personal communication, September 5, 2017)
Now, consider fifth grader Julia’s remarks:
At school when I learn math, I think that it’s fun, especially when I get to pick the strategy that works best for me to do the math…. I don’t really know all of the math that I would need yet (when I grow up), but I think I might want to be an engineer, and I know that I would have to use math every day for the planning and the building that I would be doing in that job. (J. Clements, personal communication, December 2, 2017)
Use figure 1.3 to detail what you would say to these students to maintain their interest.
Figure 1.3: Remarks to maintain girls’ interest in mathematics.
As you read the girls’ perspectives of learning mathematics, you heard ideas of positivity and promise that these girls will continue to pursue opportunities for mathematics in their schooling and beyond. However, whether or not these girls will continue to achieve and believe in themselves as mathematics learners in the pivotal years to come is unknown because it is a continuous process that will take time. The key is exposing girls to opportunities; however, ultimately it is their decision whether to pursue the opportunity. We have hope! Their early experiences are already impacting the likelihood that they will pursue coursework and careers in the field of mathematics, even in implicit ways that these girls may not yet realize. We want these girls and all other girls to realize their potential in mathematics.
Exploring the Mathematics Gender Achievement Gap
Gender differences in mathematics achievement in North America have been widely discussed and studied (Cheema & Galluzzo, 2013; Damarin & Erchick, 2010; Fryer & Levitt, 2010; Leyva, 2017; Lubienski, Robinson, Crane, & Ganley, 2013; Marks, 2008; Penner & Paret, 2008; Riegle-Crumb & Humphries, 2012; Robinson & Lubienski, 2011). However, differences in population, test formats, content assessed, and other variables yield results that are not necessarily generalizable and at times even offer mixed results, thus complicating the discussion and making implications fuzzy. In the sections that follow, we will explore both sides of the issue—data that say there is a mathematics gender achievement gap and data that contend there is not a mathematics gender achievement gap. While the primary focus of this book is on girls in grades K–5, it is important to understand the broader discussion on the mathematics gender achievement gap in the context of gender differences that appear in college and career settings.
Evidence Pointing to a Gender Gap in Mathematics
In this section, we’ll dive deeper into the research that shows there is a mathematics gender achievement gap. We’ll explore the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields; differences in mathematics achievement scores; differences in student responses regarding self-concept in mathematics; differences in problem-solving approaches among boys and girls; and differences in spatial skills among boys and girls.
Representation of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields
The representation of women in college programs and career pathways related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is societal evidence of a mathematics gender gap. Catherine Riegle-Crumb and Barbara King (2010) and many other researchers suggest that there is a disproportionally low number of women (compared to men) in both STEM programs in colleges and universities and in STEM careers (Lubienski et al., 2013; Mendick, 2005; Riegle-Crumb & Humphries, 2012; Snyder & Dillow, 2011).
In regard to STEM college programs, Ryan Noonan (2017) reports that “while nearly as many women hold undergraduate degrees as men overall, they [women] make up only about 30 percent of all STEM degree holders” (p. 1). In order for any student to pursue a STEM degree in college, he or she benefits from having a good school background in STEM subjects, mathematics being one such subject.
In this same report, “Women in STEM: 2017 Update,” Noonan (2017) also addresses the presence of women in STEM careers:
Women filled 47 percent of all US jobs in 2015 but held only 24 percent of STEM jobs. Likewise, women constitute slightly more than half of college educated workers but make up only 25 percent of college educated STEM workers. (p. 1)
Hence, the gender imbalance among STEM degrees is reflected in the gender imbalance in STEM careers. Every opportunity to encourage girls to have interest in and study fields in STEM, specifically mathematics, provides an opportunity to increase the representation of women in STEM. As it relates to representation, the quote by Marian Wright Edelman (2015), “It’s hard to be what you can’t see,” comes to mind. Therefore, it is important that girls have positive role models in their respective fields who they can look up to and follow.
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