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Gender Equity in Math and Science
Gender difference is an area where individual differences in ability and achieve-
ment have often been observed in the United States. Males have traditionally taken
more math and science courses than females and are overrepresented in occupa-
tions that require advanced knowledge of math and science. In spite of this pat-
tern, many of the respondents stated that there was no gap between girls and
boys in math and science achievement. Science and math teachers, on the other
hand, did perceive significant gender-equity problems and they talked freely with
us about their concerns.
We observed one type of gender gap in math and science achievement at a num-
ber of schools in the numbers of students taking advanced courses in these sub-
jects. Females were underrepresented in higher-level math and science courses at
Hamilton High School. A female science teacher at Hamilton High School ex-
plained what she believes is the typical pattern of gender inequality in high
schools throughout Metro City: ‘‘AP (advanced placement) is the creme de la
creme. But a lot of girls don’t continue on in AP, so I’ve got concerns about that,
about our gender-equity standards.’’ The higher-level math and science classes at
Springdale High School in a middle-class area of the city were also predominantly
male.
One explanation given by teachers for the smaller number of girls in upper-level
math and science courses was that male teachers are far more numerous in these
courses and therefore girls are less comfortable taking these courses. Role models
are fewer for females than for males in science and math. In fact, one teacher
indicated that until 4 or 5 years earlier, no women had taught AP science courses
at Hamilton High School, although at the time two women were teaching teach
biology, one of whom taught advanced-placement classes.
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Although at the time a great deal of attention was paid to the gender bias among
teachers, gender bias has a long history, as the following quote by the above
teacher underscores:
In fact, when I first started teaching, the man who had taught chemistry and
physics for 18 years gave the girls 20 extra points at the beginning of the
semester, like a handicap. We’ve come a long way. And that was only 20 years
ago; that was in 1977. We are not even talking the 1960’s here. But he thought
girls were at a disadvantage, so he gave them extra points.
There were also teachers who did not perceive gender-equity problems. A male
math teacher at Hamilton Township High School had this response when asked
about the existence of a gender gap in math and science at the school:
No, you know that comes and goes. This year I have more males than females
in my advanced calculus course, and it makes me real nervous. But that is gen-
erally not the case. We have had more girls in the past than boys. I don’t think
that that is a problem. Now, I’m a male teacher and I may be a dreamer. I
don’t perceive this to be a problem, but another person might.
In accordance with this teacher’s assessment, a female high school student at
Springdale High School, located in a suburb of Metro City, said that girls were
not discouraged from taking advanced classes in math and science. A female
science teacher at the same school also indicated that girls are not discouraged
from science and, in her opinion, some of the girls are the best students in the
advanced-placement courses.
Based on her experiences with her children, a mother of six children who at-
tended Springdale High School, said that she did not observe any gender discrimi-
nation:
One of my daughters did very well in math, so she went on to calculus and
stuff. The others took honors in all the sciences, but that wasn’t the big inter-
est for them. But I have never heard them say that they felt they were out-
classed, or that boys were shining in the classes. They could hold their own.
I haven’t heard that to be a problem here. I mean it’s something you read in
the papers a lot, but I don’t hear it from my kids.
When asked if parents in the Rolling Hills district have different expectations for
girls and boys, a female math teacher at Vanderbilt Middle School replied:
I actually don’t see that, but among the 35 students, who were selected for
the gifted math program in the 8th grade, none were female. I was heart-
broken to see that. Three girls made the cutoff but chose not to go to the
program, because they would miss the activities at the school before 9:30 a.m.
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As for parents’ expectations for boys and girls, I don’t see any differences. I
probably get an equal amount of phone calls for boys and girls.
In general, we observed a sizable gender gap in the advanced-level math and
science courses at the high schools we visited. However, respondents differed in
the extent to which this gender gap was perceived to be a problem. Some parents
and educators believed that gender discrimination has lessened over the past few
decades, and few suggested that girls were actively discouraged from seeking ca-
reers in advanced math and science.
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