Breaking Gender Stereotypes

2237 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender education impart the knowledge and attitudes

“Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of.” This is a famous nursery rhyme that is recited by loving parents almost as soon as a child is brought home from the hospital. But does it serve as the backbone for gender stereotypes that permeate our society? Today women make up more than half of college graduates but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010) only 13.8% serve as engineers and 24.8% are working in computer and mathematics fields. The resounding question is why aren’t women choosing these occupations? On one side of the argument is the belief that it is a scientific fact that girls just aren’t as talented at math as boys, and on the other side is the belief that girls are stereotypically pigeonholed into traditional female roles from a young age, eventually affecting their self-efficacy in math-related topics and their choice to pursue jobs in this realm (Bandura, Barbaranelli, Vittorio-Caprara, & Pastorelli, 2001; Geist, E., 2010).

Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) asserted that three specific cognitive abilities, verbal, quantitative, and visual-spatial, were at the core of gender differences. Their findings were the genesis of a whirlwind of studies designed to further research cognitive thinking and its relationship to gender differences, including mathematical problem solving (Zhu, 2007). In a separate study, Fennema and Sherman (1976) took a different route and first introduced the topic of gender stereotypes in school by measuring a student’s perception of his parent’s and teacher’s view of his ability to succeed in math, and the student’s attitude, confidence, and anxiety toward his own learning ability in math. They found that high school students felt that boys w...

... middle of paper ...

...80/01443410902971500

Rochat, E. (2001). Dialogical nature of cognition. Monographs of the Society for

Research in Child Development, 66(2), 133-143. doi:10.1111/1540-5834.00146

Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology Applied to

Teaching. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Spelke, E. (2005). Sex differences in intrinsic aptitude for mathematics and

science?: A critical review. American Psychologist, 60 (9), 950-958.

Retrieved from http://content.apa.org/journals/amp/60/9

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Women in the labor force: A databook (Report

1026). Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov

Zhu, Z. (2007). Gender differences in mathematical problem solving patterns: A

review of literature. International Education Journal, 8(2), 187-203. Retrieved

from http://iej.com.au

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of When Bright Girls Decide That Math Is A Waste Of Time By Susan Jacoby

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her essay, “When Bright Girls Decide That Math is a ‘Waste of Time,’” Jacoby talks about how often times nowadays girls decide that they no longer want to take math and science courses in favor “easier” subjects such as English or art. Jacoby argues that this is because of stereotypes of women that have been instilled in girls by society; they think math and science are too hard or they aren’t as smart as boys so it’s not worth it to take them. Jacoby claims that “The real problem is that so many girls eliminate themselves from any serious possibility of studying science as a result of decisions made during the vulnerable period of midadolescence, when they

    Read More

  • Margaret Matlin's Book Psychological Gender Differences Are Typically Small And Inconsistent?

    1793 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Margaret Matlin’s textbook The Psychology of Women, the first consistent theme discussed is in regards to gender differences. Contrary to popular belief, psychological gender differences are typically small and inconsistent. Throughout the text, there are numerous situations, examples, and statistical data to support these findings. One example is the lack of gender differences in cognitive abilities. Matlin (2012) states, “Unfortunately, however, when people who are not experts discuss gender comparisons in thinking, they almost always emphasize gender differences. Meanwhile, they ignore the substantial evidence for gender similarities” (143). When people who

    Read More

  • The Leaky Pipeline

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    Starting at a young age, girls are discouraged from being interested in science and math. They could be deterred from their parents, their male peers, and even their teachers. Often parents internalize gender roles, and therefore, it can be more difficult for the female to break the gender role; possibly running the risk of either disappointing her family or disappointing society because that’s who set up the traditional gender roles. Parents are more inclined to promote “assertive behavior” in their sons and “emotional sensitivity in their daughters” (Tindall and Hamil 2004). As a result, boys tend to be more assertive in the classroom, and girls tend to display more passive behavior. As the children grow, and boys begin to notice this behavior of their female peers, they may express concerns regarding the sui...

    Read More

  • Gender Equity in STEM

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    Promoting gender equity in STEM courses in high school is a crucial step in the direction of postsecondary achievement in related careers. But all too often, students Students are often afraid to try something new and of failing in front of others. Students who chronically under-perform in math and science, thinking they are not competent to excel in these subjects, are at risk of giving up.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles and Stereotypes

    1756 Words  | 4 Pages

    Girls are supposed to play with dolls, wear pink, and grow up to become princesses. Boys are suppose to play with cars, wear blue, and become firefighters and policemen. These are just some of the common gender stereotypes that children grow up to hear. Interactions with toys are one of the entryway to different aspects of cognitive development and socialism in early childhood. As children move through development they begin to develop different gender roles and gender stereotypes that are influenced by their peers and caregivers. (Chick, Heilman-Houser, & Hunter, 2002; Freeman, 2007; Leaper, 2000)

    Read More

  • Human Gender and Mathematics

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...athematics and science. If the above statement holds true, women were considered inferior to men in these areas because they weren’t schooled at a higher level. In today’s world, women are schooled at the same level as men are, which leads them to participate and excel in these fields. Lastly, female mathematicians have the same capabilities of male mathematicians because they made amazing and important discoveries in mathematics, have stuck up for their gender rights, and most important of all, were accepted by their male counterparts as equal.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes: The Influence Of Gender Roles In Society

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Changes in society have brought issues regarding gender stereotype. Gender roles are shifting in the US. Influences of women’s movement (Firestone, Firestone, & Catlett, 2006) and gender equality movement (e.g., Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)) have contributed to expanding social roles for both genders. Nevertheless, gender stereotypes, thus gender stereotype roles continue to exist in the society (Skelly & Johnson, 2011; Wood & Eagly, 2010). With changes in gender roles, pervasiveness of gender stereotype results in a sense of guilt, resentment, and anger when people are not living up to traditional social expectations (Firestone, Firestone, & Catlett, 2006). Furthermore, people can hold gender stereotype in pre-reflective level that they may

    Read More

  • Sexism and Stereotypes

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    You are at an interview, the interviewer says that you are not qualified for the job because of your gender. What would you say? Sexism has caused stereotypes, and harassment in the workforce, and professional sports, therefore people should know more about sexism. Media is a powerful tool of communication, it produces both negative and positive impacts on society.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes Essay

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    The work's topicality is characterized by the existence of the gender stereotypes in society, having generalization, and does not reflect individual differences in the human categories. Meanwhile, there is still discrimination on the labour market, human trafficking, sexual harassment, violence, women and men roles and their places in the family. Mass media offers us the reality, reduces the distance, but we still can see the negative aspects too. TV cultivates gender stereotypes, offering ideas about gender, relationships and ways for living. Such media ideas attach importance to many people in the society. Consequently, it is quite important identify gender stereotypes in the media, in order to prevent false views relating to gender stereotypes.

    Read More

  • Women Mathematicians: Why So Few?

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    The twentieth century has been a century of change for women and their rights. They have been successful in gaining the right to vote, equal opportunity in the workplace, and many other freedoms. So why then is the field of mathematics still so sexually separated? Can it be that women just aren’t as well endowed in the area of mathematical thinking so that they just can’t compare to the male mathematical geniuses? This theory has been proven totally false on many occasions. A study by Jane M. Armstrong in 1978 showed that 13-year-old females actually performed slightly better than males on tests of mathematical computation, spatial visualization, and performance in algebra (Chipman 8). An analysis by Project TALENT in 1960 showed that males in 9th grade are slightly more mathematically inclined, but the stand...

    Read More

  • Same Sex Schools

    1630 Words  | 4 Pages

    Girls tend to doubt themselves, while boys think they can do anything. Boys need to be brought down from the clouds while girls need to be dug out of a hole (Mullins 3). David Chadwell says, "Structure and connection are two key concepts when examining gender in the classroom. " All students certainly need both, but it seems that teachers need to consider the issue of structure more with boys and the issue of connection more with girls" (7). And Kristen Stanberry’s research has shown, "Some research indicates that girls learn better when classroom temperatures are warm, while boys perform better in cooler classrooms.

    Read More

  • What Is The Gender Gap In STEM

    1702 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some boys around the age of seven, are reported to believe that their male peers are better at math than fellow female students. As for girls at this age, believe that both male and female students are equally capable in math, until the age of 10. This is where female students begin to believe that males students are better in the math areas. However, during adolescence years, boys begin to agree that girls and boys are equally good at math, as girls continue to state males are more successful in math (Saucerman and

    Read More

  • Rose Guilbault's 'The Untranslatable Word Macho'

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Girls are seen as caring, nurturing, quiet, and helpful. They place other’s needs above their own. Girls get ahead by hard work, not by being naturally gifted. Boys are seen as lazy, but girls are seen as not capable. In class, teacher will call on boys more than they call on girls. Boys are seen as better at math and science; while girls are better at reading and art. This bias is still at work even out of the classroom. There are more males employed at computer firms than women. The ratio of male to female workers in STEM fields is 3-1. In college, more women major in the humanities than in the sciences. In education, women are often seen as lesser than; even though 65% of all college degrees are earned by women. Women are still often seen as needing to be more decorative than intellectual, as represented by the Barbie who included the phrase, “Math is hard!” and the shirt that JC Penneys sold that said, “I’m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me.” While there was a backlash on both items, it points out that there is a great deal of work to do on the educational gender bias to be

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotyping: The Negative Impacts Of Gender Stereotypes

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gender stereotyping has been ongoing throughout history. The media has been distorting views by representing gender unrealistically and inaccurately. It created an image of what "masculinity" or "femininity" should be like and this leads to the image being "naturalized" in a way (Gail and Humez 2014). The media also attempts to shape their viewers into something ‘desirable’ to the norm. This essay will focus on the negative impacts of gender-related media stereotypes by looking at the pressures the media sets on both women and men, and also considering the impacts on children.

    Read More

  • Women and Mathematics

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    Call me a bigot if you want but men are better mathematicians than women. Year after year, men score higher on the SAT’s, more men receive prestigious educations from the best technical schools in the nation, and men obtain more degrees, secure more jobs and get promoted more often. “The ETS report on students taking the SAT examinations indicates that males have traditionally scored 40-50 points higher on the mathematics section” (Women) “In 1996, California Institute of Technology’s enrollment was 75% male, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s enrollment was 62% male, Renssalear Polytechnic Institute’s enrollment was 77% male, Rochester Institute of Technology’s enrollment was is 68% male, and Worchester Institute of Technology’s enrollment was 79% male” (Baron’s). The future for women who enter the work place as mathematicians is no more encouraging. “Roughly three times as many women are unemployed and six times as many women are in part time positions. The female mathematicians who acquire these full time jobs are less likely than men to be promoted to a position such as full or associate professor” (awm-math.org). Females’ lack of success as mathematicians has nothing to do with their mathematical potential. The reason females do not excel in mathematical fields can be explained by high school course selection, social pressures and support and not by genetic differences.

    Read More

More about Breaking Gender Stereotypes

Open Document