Gender Equity in Math and Science Essay

Historically boys were top of the class. Today that is no longer the case. A recent article in The Economist discusses a 2009 study by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) that examined how 15-year-old boys and girls performed in reading, mathematics and science. They found that girls are performing better than their male classmates. This gender gap is worldwide. Girls score higher than boys on tests measuring reading ability in every country in the world (Loveless).

Most of this gender disparity starts early. As early as in grade school. Young girls are rarely motivated to take Math and Science. This can be problematic because studies show that a lack in intellectual belief can in turn inhibit intellectual growth. There is also that persistent unconscious bias that Science and Math are male fields while females tend to do well

Throughout history, gender bias has always been abundant throughout society. Today, the issue is raised that gender bias is apparent in High School from teachers. Many people associate gender bias as being bias toward men and women. Although this is true, it can also be related to many other categories, such as, social standing, race, religion, ethnicity, language, or class. Even though many teachers do not have a habit of practicing gender bias, there are quite a few that are practicing this bad habit.

When looking at the data, it shows us that the percentage of female students with a learning achievement in mathematics in primary school is 80% (UN). According the Figure C this same level of learning achievement for male students in primary school is 78% (UN). Girls actually have a lead over the boys. However, this lead that girls have actually made an interesting turn as time moves on. When looking at Figure D, the learning achievement in mathematics for female students in secondary school is at 75% and for male students is at 81% (UN). Not only does the number flip, but the gap between male and female students widens by 8%! The gap widens more into the tertiary level of education. Data coming from the OECD show that 920 graduates in science related majors were female compared to 2,137 graduates that were male. According to Figure E this amounts to 30.1% of graduates in science related majors being female (OECD). There is a vast decrease in females graduating with science related degrees than male students. When looking at female students in health-related majors, we see that the number goes up and is at 8,370 graduates compared to the 4,008 male students in health-related majors. According to Figure F this amounts to 67.6% of

The most drastically noticed is usually in the place of education and work. Often boys and girls are separated because a boy is better at a girl in one thing and visa versa. A study done in November of 2016 found that, “A big part of the reason that girls stay away from STEM isn't about test results. It's down to self-confidence and the weight of public perceptions; girls and young women seem to absorb societal beliefs that "girls can't do math" and rate their own abilities lower as a result, while boys often have an inflated view of their skills. Parents in the study tended to hold higher opinions of sons' mathematical abilities, which probably added an extra layer of discouragement” (Thorpe). Although it may not be apparent, girls and boys are often steered into a specific educational choices by the older generation and educators based on their gender. A gender should not affect how a person is taught in school and what they want to do in life. As boys are girls are given different types of encouragement growing up, it often reflects on their career path. Often men and women are separated by which jobs are “gender appropriate”, but if women and men do get the same job they are also often separated. Noback and others said, “A wide range of empirical evidence suggests that women face more obstacles that hinder career advancement than men do. Based on a review, Tharenou found that the barriers

One of the most talked about topics in education is the widening achievement gap between male and female students. It has been debated for more than a decade of why male students are falling behind in the educational system. There is significant evidence to believe that this is a phenomenon. However, there is not a concrete answer as to why male students are lacking academically. This leads to two possible lines of thinking about gender gaps: Either they represent the innate biological differences in males’ and females’ abilities, or they represent the biases of how the school system treats male and female students. Both of these reasons are believed and argued to be the reason in differences academically.

The gap between women and men in receiving education in high school level isn’t very high in many countries. But the difference is created in the advanced level where a higher number of male receive college degrees than female. The situation becomes worse when men tend to concentrate on career oriented fields which lead to high

One of the most talked about debates in education is the widening achievement difference between male and female students. It has been debated for more than a decade why male students are falling behind in the educational system. There is significant evidence to believe that this is a phenomenon. However, there is not a concrete answer as to why male students are lacking academically. This leads to two possible lines of thinking about gender gaps: Either they represent innate differences in boys’ and girls’ abilities because of genetic make up, or they represent the biases of how schools treat boys and girls and that is the reason in differences academically.

Gender differences in education is something of a common topic among educational studies since intensification in the 1970’s (Breakwell, 2003, p. 437). Gender differences among the subjects taught in school has been found to be somewhat more of a social construct rather than a concept that has any kind of scientific explanation because of the idea of gender differences being taken and changed into the idea of a gender stereotype in most parts of education (Crilly, 2013, p. 1).

According to Chapman, “siting in the same classroom, reading the same textbooks, listening to the same teacher, boys and girls receive very different educations.” In fact, because boys and girls are viewed differently, they are not considered equal. For instance, some schools have proven, girls outperform boys, excelling in areas such as reading and writing. In contrast, other schools found that boys have been known to outperform girls. In either situation, students are not receiving the same education.

Introduction In recent years there has been much research into gender learning issues and the apparent learning disparity between boys and girls. Such research has included investigations into boys' underachievement in literacy and girls' underachievement in mathematics. The aim of such research is to recognise key reasons why such trends are occurring and perhaps more importantly, to address these within the classroom.

The disparity between the achievements of males and females has been a concerning issue in education since the day girls were required to go to school. Ideally, as a whole, students belonging to either gender should perform equally well in their studies, but rarely has that ever happened. Boys traditionally performed better than their female peers because it was once normal for them to receive an education while girls stayed at home. Recently, however, a different trend has occurred in gender achievement. On average, “In high school, girls get higher grades in every subject, usually by about a quarter of a point, and have a higher median class rank” (Brooks 410). This sudden shift has prompted many concerned parents to wonder whether school curriculums have been recently designed to interest girls, while ignoring what boys like in the process. Although it is easy to blame the public school system for catering to girls, they are not the immediate problem; the expectation for boys to pursue certain interests is the reason for the achievement gap.

David Brooks observed that the only reason boys’ averages on test scores hasn’t fallen completely behind is due to a select group of extremely high scores. He is stating that the gap between males and females is growing significantly and research isn’t totally exact. In a study published by the Department of Education said that in 2005 133 women will graduate for every 100 men, and by the decade’s end the number would grow to 142 women for every 100 men. This is in part due to girls scoring approximately a quarter point higher grades in each class than boys(Brooks). This leaves you to quizzically wonder why the problem has grown to cataclysmic level it is at today. Currently this evinces how women as a whole do better in public school when compared to males.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2012 it was reported that 76 percent of public school teachers were female. Some theories suggest that the teacher’s gender has a large impact on how students learn. The idea is that the teacher gender shapes the relationship and communication between teacher and student. Teachers can also act as role models for that specified gender, even if he/she is not fit to be a role model. According to this theory students are often better behaved and perform better when taught by teachers of the same gender. A study done using the National Education Longitudinal Survey was conducted to see the effect of the teachers gender on students ‘ test scores. The study confirmed that teacher’s gender has effects on students test performance, teacher perceptions of students, and students’ engagement in the material being taught ( In a study conducted of 1,799,243 ACT-tested students more astonishing data was found that confirms the teacher gender theory.1 On average females had a higher Grade Point Average in English, Math, Social Science and Science as well as an overall GPA (Buddin, 2013). However grades are not given out by who is the smartest; attendance, homework, participation and behavior are all factors of many high school classrooms. So if a male student has a female teacher (which is very likely) he will not do as well as a female student in the same class because of

Did you know that girl beat boys statically in school in almost every category? In schooling such as elementary and high school the stats are virtually the same, but in postsecondary women have a 57% enrollment rate compared to the males 43% this a huge margin of women in college and another specialized schools then men. Boys have significantly higher chances of getting held back a grade then girls, being as high as 61% to 39%. Girls have higher grades in algebra and have enrolled into AP courses more than boys. They make up 57% of bachelor’s degrees and a high 62% in master’s degrees. They have higher success rates at the college level. I believe the reasons for these statistics range from mass media’s views on gender, male and female anatomy such as the changes through puberty that the genders go through, to simple psychology. They’re only causing the gender education gap to worsen by making boys go through a harder path then girls.