Gender and Math

As noted in my previous posting, I have a number of questions and inquires, especially when it comes to gender in mathematics.
After reading a couple of different resources it seems as though the idea of boys being superior to girls in the subject area is an outdated idea, which is coming to a halt. A mere result of “social engineering”, we have actually constructed this false concept ourselves, by giving boys the greater opportunity to succeed in math or abstracting our research under unfair circumstances.
“According to new research published in the journal Science, the "gender gap" in math’s, long perceived to exist between girls and boys, disappears in societies that treat both sexes equally” (Lipsett, 2008). The stereotype exists that males are “better” at math than females, so many do not want to “waste time” on females who are primarily over seen by their male peers. Placing both genders on an equal playing field to start gives each an equal opportunity to succeed.
Another potential cause for a wide range of test scores between males and females is female’s lack of response to competitiveness. It has been recorded that females do not perform as well as males in competitive test taking environments. It only makes sense that males would produce better results, but not from just math intelligence alone, but also being placed in a comfortable environment.
“We find that the response to competition differs for men and women, and in the examined environment, gender difference in competitive performance does not reflect the difference in non competitive performance” (Niederle &Vesterlund, 2009).
I think the most important reminder from this weeks discussion was the importance of placing all students on the same playing field. As educators, we need to ensure equal opportunities are provided to all students-regardless of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. The situation we choose to place our students in always has an effect on their learning.

Lipsett, A. (2008) Boys not better than girls at maths, study finds. Education Guardian. Retrieved Nov 12, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/30/schools.uk1

Niederle, Muriel & Vesterlund, Lise (2009) Explaining the Gender Gap in Math Test Scores: The Role of Competition. Retrieved November 21, 2011 from http://www.stanford.edu/~niederle/NV.JEP.pdf