Why do girls suck at math?

Question

Why are highschool girls less successful at math than guys, on average? Of course, this isn't always the case. I know many girls who are good at it, but they're a minority. A minority of girls enrols and remains in math majors. I think the disparity arises in childhood games and past-times.

Is it maybe a psychological block? A friend of mine had excellent grades in all highschool subjects (straight A's in humanities, very good in foreign languages and even sciences) except math, which she failed as a senior.

If they see it as boring and useless in life (o yea, female charms gt you anywhere), why don't guys feel the same way about it?

I agree with all those answers claiming guys and girls have the same *potential* for being smart at math, but I know from my experience that the reality is different. Why don't they study or pay attention? Why can't they figure out solutions as guys do?

Lack of female role model? Absence of a woman Pythagoras in our cultural history? I don't think this accounts 100% for the problem. What common female role models does the average highschool student have for history, biology, 18th century literature, ...?

Some might say it's another instance of the "macho principle", so that would be your answer. However, the "macho" lies not in my opinion, but in the concrete effect that we can observe.

Things are changing - awesome! I couldn't be happier to see more girls in my field.

BTW I'm really interested in the question, since I'm planning to give math classes, among other things. I don't want to go into the fact that there are obvious differences between male and female bodies and minds, while the purported equality of other abilities is unprovable.

Thanks for your researched answer, I think it will win. Do you work in didactics?

The only thing I don't like is your comment about the prevalence of female university students. You can go through four years of college without a glimpse at a math formula.

prozworld - I agree in part with your answer. However you seem to address the idea that girls are better at humanities, whereas guys are better at science. But doesn't English require "figuring out stuff" whenever you write an essay, a poem or have to think analytically or think about the logic of a statement? Don't drawing and other art forms require "figuring out stuff" when you want to depict something exactly as you have it in mind? The ability to "retain stuff" alone doesn't help much in these situations. You also need creativity and strategy to dress fashionably, as girls like doing. On the other hand, you need memory to remember a theorem you can use in proving something, or physical/chemical data you need in the laboratory, or to remember what path not to take as you redo a level in a videogame.

Answer 1

In the United States and in other countries around the world women are discouraged from pursing math and science further in the class room. The problem usualy starts in the class room.

The interactions of students with teachers seem to affect the proportion of girls who pursue math beyond graduation requirements. Teachers reinforce boys more than girls for math proficiency. Many teachers convey the idea that math is more important for boys than girls. Teachers are more likely to call on boys than girls to solve math problems in class.

Another factor that influences proficiency in any area is parental encouragement. Few parents directly discourage their girls from studying math. However, many parents indirectly discourage math for girls. Parents are much more likely to purchase computer games sons than daughters.Similarly, boys are more likely to have access to personal computers in the home.Essentially, it seems that parents provide more support for boys than girls for excelling in math and science.

So in reality there is no psychological block at all this "thought" was finally put to rest in the 1970's. It's more of a social issue. I should mention there is a higher enrollment of women in colleges and universities than men.

Don't forget there has been many women in math and science thoughout history......

Aglaonike( 5th century B.C. Greece-astronomer):She had the ability to accurately predict the times and locations of lunar eclipses. From this knowledge, Aglaonike is considered to be one of the first woman astronomers.

Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming (1851-1911
Scotland/USA-astronomer): Williamina's great astronomical career started when Prof. Pickering
found his male students to be incompetent and decieded Williamina was to take over
the clerical task and mathematical calculations. She devised a system of classifying
stars according to their spectra, which is a distintive pattern produces by each star
when its light is passed through a prism. She discovered 59 nebulae, over 300
variable stars, and 10 novae, which are today classified as the Draper Catalogues of
Stellar Spectra. In 1906 Williamina became the first American women elected to the
Royal Astronomical Society. She went on to publish a total of 222 variable stars
that she discovered in 1907.

Maria Mayer (906-1972 Germany/USA-physicist): Mayer was a physicist that worked on the shell structure of the atom. She was the one that determined the shell structure for where the electrons are placed. Her model is one that most teachers use when explaining the stucture of an atom. Mayer put a definition to the phrase " Magic Number.She also helped out the atomic bomb project with her discovery in the separation of isotopes oif Uranium.

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994 Egypt-chemist): She was the first person to discover the crystalline structure present in insulin, penicillin and vitamin B-12. For this discovery she was awarded a Nobel Prize

Answer 2

They are just as good as guys.

The girls suck at this while guys are better theory is acutally based on the macho principle. Which has existed since the begining of time. Many women buy into it and dont perform well. The fact is that woman and men as groups are equal in eveything mental. So dont believe that psudo science that shows SCANS of brains as proof.

The only thing I can think of that girls do not match men on is physical. They just have a differnt composition. They were not made to grow as large as men.

But then men cant do some things that women can do. Like give birth. In this case we are just different. That we may prefer not to give birth if given the choice is subjective. but that we cant do it is a fact.

so we really are more equal than many men (and some women) may care to admit.

Answer 3

that is because girls minds are wired differently than boys. And that is a fact.

Even when at babies, baby girls tend to focus more on human emotions while baby boys focus more on objects and the surroundings and actions of how things work.

Look at the toys for e.g girls - dolls (affection)
while boys - cars and guns and things that lights and spins


Girls are better in Arts (like english, literature, psycology, socialogy) while guys are better in maths, physics and inventing stuff.


Girls are better in retaining information while guys are better in figureing out stuff.

e.g girls could remeber a chemical equation easier while guys could use the concepts and figure it out instead.

Thats why it would take longer for guys.

Answer 4

If you are up on your studies you would realize that girls are gaining ground and/or pulling ahead of guys in high school across the board. Hate to break it to you but that's the recent data.

I also happened to have all A's in high school, except for math where I got B's (and once a C) and it was because it bored the crap out of me so I didn't study.

Answer 5

b/c most girls (NOT including me) thinks its fun to dumb themselves down so guys will get the picture that they do not want to be labeled "smart girl" b/c that's what guys like....idiots. me and my friends have never had boyfriends(well a lot of us), but hey, we get straight A's in advanced math.

Answer 6

That's not true. I continue to keep high A's/100% in math ever since I was little. I'm in 11th grade now. It's just a false stereotype, as all stereotypes are.

Answer 7

it is not that u suck.u must have not studied or paid attention.

Answer 8

Bunch of crap. Girls are no better or worse at anything than men.

It's all up to the individual.

Answer 9

no its really more guys then girl suck at math

Answer 10

they do?