The Outlook for Girls In Engineering and Mathematics Essay

In the essay “When Brights Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of Time” by Susan Jacoby, Jacoby claims that girls develop deficiencies during their adolescent years by not taking math or science in their high school years. It can be argued that Jacoby’s thoughts on high school girls and math are incorrect due to the sexism that takes place in her essay, the amount of inaccurate and outdated information, and her argument that math and science is highly important.

Women have always been viewed as the weaker sex, and society will continue to view them that way unless they do something about it. In the essay “When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of time”, the author Susan Jacoby discusses the problems women steering clear of math and science subjects because of the traditional view of a woman. She focused on what causes high school girls to focus on arts courses instead of STEM courses and what are the effects of it on themselves. The underlying discrimination amongst boys and girls, stereotypical thinking of parents and teachers that girls are not good at math eventually decreases the self-confidence among girls to solve science and math problems.

Although the recent upward trends in the number of women in STEM fields are promising, they are not truly due to decreasing cultural stereotypes. Women receiving graduate degrees in engineering increased by 2 percent from 2000 to 2008, but this trend is not as hopeful as it may seem (Giges). This increase was mainly evident in communal fields like environmental or biomedical engineering (Giges). This is further evidence of the impact of cultural stereotypes and their influence on women’s career paths. Society’s expectation of women is that they serve as caring motherly figures and community-centered careers adhere

This report navigates the current state of STEM demographic in the country. It examines the reasons why there are less females undertaking STEM majors and gives recommendations on the problems. A brief history on STEM is outlined and the discussion follows with in depth analysis on the subject. STEM is a very critical education discipline with an importance in the economy of the country. Much as it is important, few students choose a career path in STEM. Although, there are more than 50% female students in Colleges and Universities, 12% take STEM related course. Why is this? This report is a compilation of empirical data collected in journals on the same subject explaining

In his article, “Does Gender Matter?”, Ben A. Barres writes about the apparent absence of women in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. He starts out the article by informing the reader about a few of the hypotheses that aim to explain this difference in presence, hypotheses that Barres aims to disprove. Barres explains, and at a few points depicts with charts and graphs, the significance of the gap between the amount of white men in the STEM majors and fields of studies and the amount of women and minorities in these same areas. He tell the readers the misconceptions such as the idea that women are inferior in these fields are untrue, and the fact is that woman and minorities are discouraged from entering into these areas

This journal summary explores a peer reviewed article that answers the question, “Do Growth Mindsets in Math Benefit Females”? The article was written by Jessica L. Degol from Pennsylvania State University, and Ming Te Wang, Ya Zhang, and Julie Allerton from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. The purpose of this research was to gain understanding into the math growth mindset of female students, grades 9-12, as they begin to choose career fields after high school. Through research, it has been discovered that although female’s have lower ability self-concepts and expectations of success in math, they are still equivalent in their math performance compared to males (Degol, Wang, Zhang, and Allerton, 2018). Yet, males

women are not active in mathematics (Nolan 3). IN 1973 Julia Sherman and Elizabeth Fennema, both mathematical educators, studied girls in mathematics courses in both elementary and high school settings. They found that the crucial years of a woman’s mathematical future is in her 3rd or 4th year of high school, when she is often counciled out of mathematics by parents and teachers because they felt that the girl has no future in the field (Nolan 3). These results were supported by the Wise, Steel, and MacDonald analysis which found that "sex differences in average math achievement increased most sharply after the tenth grade, when

Over the past few years I have envisioned myself becoming an engineer. I will connect my passion for education and desire for math and science into one. One day I hope to start up my own school system that is dedicated to help urban city youth learn foreign languages, express themselves through fine arts, while exposing them to the STEM field. It is not common for women to go into the field of engineering. Only 14% of people in engineering are female. My family and friends began to question me on whether this something I really wanted to do, because women in the field engineering is rare, but I tells them thus is just a game of gender and power.

An Exploration into the Lack of Female Interest in Mathematics and Possible Solutions to the Problem

In the long history of sexism in science, technology, engineer and mathematics (STEM), women have been discrimination of being unfit or not ‘apprehensiveness’ enough for being a scientist or engineer by men who have high doubtful on women or mocking women working as an engineer that they would destroy something. Determining or judging the action of the gender in different position and the thinking of discrimination from the superior race or gender to the lesser is what it called sexism. Sexism is most common in science and engineer especially women is the most affected.

For many students entering higher education, the hard sciences and advanced mathematics courses are often avoided. As attrition rates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) increase, the projected need for professions in these fields in the upcoming years is increasing. Increasing success and retention in the STEM subjects has become a focus of much recent educational research (Tsui, 2007). To avoid falling short of educated scientists and engineers to fill the expected positions, intervention strategies and new teaching methods such as, summer bridge programs (Ackermann, 1991), learning centers (Sullivan, 1980), career counseling (Hill, Pettus, & Hedin, 1990) and others have been implemented (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). Of particular interest to this project is advanced mathematics achievement, specifically in calculus, in hopes of increasing retention.

The primary division of humanity into men and women and the dominant role of men in modern society has led to the obvious prevalence of men, it can be traced in all cultural and historical periods, particularly in areas such as science. Most of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) University graduates are men. Among STEM graduates aged 25 to 34, women represented 23% of graduates from engineering and 30% of graduates from mathematics and computer science programs. ("Gender differences in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science (STEM) programs at university," n.d.). This research paper is going to focus on the studies investigating the social premises causing the gender gap in maths and science involvement. Difference in the number of male and female individuals studying maths and science is a consequence of the continued normative social construction of gender, social prejudice ensured through, but no limited to previous female exclusion from education system.

There is mounting evidence of a gender gap in STEM fields in the United States. In a recent study looking at the gender distribution of college graduates receiving STEM related degrees, it was found that 19% of STEM related bachelor’s degrees are awarded to women, with only 3% awarded to minority women. Furthermore, males are six times more likey to take engineering courses than women. However, this gender gap cannot only be associated with recent graduating classes. Historically, fewer women have chosen to pursue careers in STEM related fields. Though women make up 47% of the workforce, they make up 25% of the science and computer science workforce, and just 13% of the engineering workforce.

Throughout time there has been a common stereotype that girls, and women, are bad at math and science. However, there are women who graduate college with STEM degrees, thus claiming women are biologically worse than men in this field

STEM Education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is one of the most profound aspects of education today and it is moving the world forward in research. However, in the STEM occupations, there is a gender gap and underrepresentation of women in the field. For this research, the gender gap (with women) in STEM education/careers and how it can be reduced will be examined. Furthermore, it has been hypothesized if teachers encourage and support girls who want to go into STEM education, it will promote more women to go into STEM careers in the future. Moreover, the following ten literature reviews will strive to support the hypotheses.