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Many girls grow up as “just not good” at math or science. Disturbingly, this was accepted by parents and teachers alike. Not only accepted but expected! Girls aren’t really good at math, right? Science isn’t really their thing, right? That’s why we don’t buy them astronaut-type toys or chemistry sets. We stick to stuff they can handle, like princess dresses and kitchens. Girls can handle language, art and literature a lot more so that’s their “thing” and we leave the math and science to the boys – that’s where they are strongest.
Now lest this seem like a gross stereotype, I don’t mean it to be. But stereotypes have a foundation in truth, seen in everything from subject choices in school to the kinds of dress-up and playgroups we host (the boy will be the doctor, the girl will be the nurse. The boy will be the pilot, the girl will be the flight attendant. Boy always in charge; girl is his assistant.) We don’t see this as much anymore but it remains – subtle and soft; and unintentionally encouraged by many well-meaning parents and educators alike.
The first female astronaut in space (aboard the 1983 Challenger) Sally Ride, was interviewed on NPR today. She spoke of her background, of her triumphs and challenges and also went into great detail about girls and their relationship with math and science. Sally said she sees great improvement in how adults perceive girls and their scientific capabilities but more work is needed. She recounted a woman who made a bee-line for her at some sort of convention or science fair. She proudly introduced her daughter as a real talent in science and talked to Ms. Ride about how well the young girl was doing. Sally was pleased with the conversation until the woman made a point of saying (in front of her daughter) that she “had no idea where she got it from! I’m not good at science!” Sally thought how the well-meaning mother had subtly (or not so) told her daughter she was a bit weird for being good at science. Would that mom have said the same thing if she had a son, instead of a daughter?
A 2008 study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) saw that a perception of science by girls was very important. If they perceived it as hard or boring, they avoided it. If they perceived it as interesting, challenging and as a potentially rewarding career, they were far more apt to consider it for further study. Confidence was also key. This research (funded by the NSF) found that girls were eliminating a lucrative future if science was introduced to them as something hard – something boys were better at. The study also showed a remaining bias towards boys by teachers and more support for boys at home, evidenced by both boys and girls stating that they thought their teachers believed boys were simply better at the sciences.
The study also saw something profound – one in five engineering grads are women, but only one in ten engineers are women. What goes wrong between college graduation and the workforce? This is something that needs a far deeper evaluation.
Another thing found was that girls and boys learn science differently and at a different age. If teachers were more aware of this, and equipped to work with these differences, then girls would have a better chance at being given the same opportunities as boys. The best support for girls, the study found? Supportive parents and engaged teachers.
Sally Ride has a foundation, dedicated to the advancement of science to help the environment and also to promote interest in science, math and engineering to children and importantly, girls. Her organization holds science camps and fairs for girls, as well as a kind of training program, where kids follow science teachers to learn techniques as they teach other children.
And what about us? The parents – the most influential group? By all means we must allow our daughters their dolls and their castles. But we must also allow them to do what comes as naturally to girls as it does to boys – cultivate their interest in math, the environment, science and engineering in order to be an equal force in making the world a better and safer place, as well as allowing young girls an interesting and lucrative career in areas once considered a 'guy thing'.
For more on Sally Ride’s organization, click here: https://www.sallyridescience.com/
Are you the parent of a girl? Do you still see gender stereotyping in the teaching of math, science and engineering?
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