Gender Equity
Are male students and female student’s receiving the same opportunities when it
comes to Math and Science in the schools? I don’t believe they are. This is why
gender equity is a major problem facing our schools today. Many girls are
having very negative attitudes towards Math and Science. Through doing
research on this topic I found out why.
In the article How Research Helps Address Gender Equity, a very
shocking and eye opening thing was written. I learned that children as young as
kindergarten already have formed set stereotypes about Science and Math. The
boys in the class wanted to and believed that they could be Scientist while the
girls in the class did not. They perceived being a Scientist as a mans job. As
children get older and move up in their grades things don’t seem to be getting
any better, only worse.
A three year study was done in fourth, sixth, and eighth grade classrooms
in four states and they discovered that teachers actually call on and give more
feedback to boys. The teachers answer to this study was that boys were more
demanding and they called out more then girls. However it was found that if girls
act this way they were penalized for it (Sadker D, Sadker M, and Stulber L,
1993). Teachers also challenge boys if they give the wrong answer, and if girls
give the wrong answer they are more apt to call on another person. I was
surprised by this research because I hadn’t actually noticed these things
occurring while I was in school, but now that I look back at it I realize that it did.
As I got into course three Math, a lot of girls had dropped out including myself.
One of the major reasons I dropped out was the fact that my Math t...
... middle of paper ...
...on since I will be
going into teaching shortly. I know that it will be my job as a teacher to promote
equality in my classroom.
Works Cited
Bailey,S., & Campbell, P(1999). The Gender Wars in Education. Retrieved from the World
Wide Web on March 18,2001: http://www.trac.net.users.ckassoc.gender_wars.htm.
Baker Dale(2001). Teaching for Gender Difference. Retrieved from the World Wide Web
on March 18,2001: http://narst.org/research/gender.htm.
Beyond Title IX:Gender Equity Issues in School (2001). Retrieved from the World Wide
Web on March 18, 2001: http://www.maec.org/beyond.html#intro.
Damnjanovic, A., & Kahle, J. (1997) How Research Helps Address Gender Equity.
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18, 2001: http://narst.org/research/gender2.htm.
Sadker, D., Sadker, M., & Stulberg, L (1993). Fair and Square. Instructor
I was never one to be inclined towards math or science. I always felt that English and writing were more my speed, and in turn I enjoyed them more. From Susan Jacoby’s point of view as shown in her essay “When Bright Girls Decide That Math is a Waste of Time,” this would not have been a good enough reason for me to stop taking those subjects in my later years of high school. However, I disagree. I think learning, especially as you get older and closer to college-age, should be about the subjects that allow you to thrive and discover yourself, not about those that you struggle with and cause you stress.
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If women lack intelligence and cannot be a scientist, then what should they be? If they can’t act intelligent, then how should they act? Woman should stick to their society roles and stay away from thinking the way a male is expected to think. A woman thinking scientifically is considered to be thinking like a man (Keller 77). Keller’s statement explains that science is considered to be a male subject. It is not appropriate for females to think scientifically. Women then begin to get treated differently because they are not meeting society’s
The United Kingdom did a survey in 2003 where the objective was to identify gender issues in the academic performances of boys and girls during classroom laboratories. This study was done on adolescent children that explored the idea of what would be said about girls and boys who stated that they did or did not like science. The conclusion was predicted with the group of imaginary girls and boys. That is participants were to mark traits of girls and boys in their class that they did not know. Girls who liked science were found less feminine than girls who disliked science (Breakwell, Glynis; Robertson, Toby. 449). Oddly enough girls and boys who scored themselves did not give ratings that girls that liked science were considered less feminine. However, boys rated boys who disliked science more feminine. It appears that boys are pres...
Although current evidence revealed that the gap between gender in the STEM education are slightly narrowing than the past, women still being underrepresented in the STEM education (Wang & Degol, 2016). The video clearly presents an essential message to support the stereotypes by gender. In the video, the parents always say discouraging to their daughters as “Put it down honey…. don’t get your dress dirty”,
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[13] Achieving Gender Equity in Science Classrooms, 1996, NECUSE Colleges and Brown University students and faculty
If the messages I get at home and in the community second my adolescent thoughts on algebra, it is an easy path to forego it. And if I don’t pass it, maybe I’m held back and begin that downward spiral of underachievement.
It was a dark evening and I had just finished school. It was 3:30 and
Unlike budding computer scientists my Math skills were not very strong until Grade 10.However I quickly recognized its importance in my intended major and with my innate tenacity worked until I turned it into an area of strength topping the subject in both the 10th and 12th grades. Subsequently I ranked in the top 1.5 % of my state engineering entrance exam from among a hundred thousand who appear for it each year.
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The “Politics” section, from the UN’s 2008 report of the progress of the world’s women, discusses in detail how women’s roles in government and politics in general have expanded and can continue to expand. Moreover, it also explores different challenges and obstacles women may encounter when it comes to politics, and how these obstacles can be overcome. In discussing these issues, the author describes a “cycle of political accountability”. This so called cycle is a process by which women’s engagement in politics results in a positive “feedback loop” whereby a more gender-balanced political system may arise. According to the report, there are five stages: mobilization, representation, legislation & policy, implementation, and transforming politics. Of course, the cycle can also go backwards leading to the loss of rights for women.
and wages. It will also tackle what is being done to solve this problem and what
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There are many differences between boys and girls in the classroom. Most people do not realize this, but it is a proven fact. Gender differences in math and science are very evident. Teachers subconsciously treat boys with a higher degree of respect when it comes to math and science than they do girls.