Men are Smarter than Women! Oh wait that’s a myth

Are women worse at math than men? Why do less women on average go into STEM degrees, in particular, those that heavily focus on math?

Historically, women were prohibited from getting a higher education, even as little as a high school degree. Although much has progressed in order to give women the same rights to pursue a higher education, there continues to be a gap in the amount of women who choose STEM pathways (Government of Canada 2021).

In order to determine the deeper context as to why women pursue less math-related degrees, we have to discuss the biological differences between men and women. A plethora of research has been conducted to discover what makes men’s and women’s brains different. There are some structural morphologies that do have a considerable difference between men and women (Xin et al. 2019). However, the functions of these different parts of the brain vary: differences in sensory processes, emotional regulation, and motor abilities (Ingalhalikar et al. 2014). Despite these differences, there has been very little linkage between brain structure and difference in learning when comparing women and men as a whole. 

If not for physical differences, then the social conditioning of women from a young age needs to be considered instead. In 1980, a study was conducted to ask young girls about their attitudes towards math courses. They found that not only did girls have personal negative feelings towards math from fear of social ostracization, but also 42% who were interested in math related careers were discouraged from taking higher level math courses by counselors (Beckwith & Durkin). Although this study is considered far from president day, the precedent of girls being discouraged from pursuing careers in pure math or heavy math related sciences still exists. Surveys from 2003-2011 showed that stereotypes such as a greater nurturing ability for women and men being more analytical were upheld in 53 countries (Charles et al. 2014). Figure 1 shows how negative perceptions of STEM courses, specifically among girls, results in less enrollment for more math-related postsecondary studies.

Figure 1 – Statistics Canada 2021 data on percentage of enrollment in a STEM bachelor’s program for men and women. Comparing the traditional STEM percentage enrollment of 29.76 % for women with men 46.78% there is a clear gap. There is an even larger gap between the percent enrollment in math-intensive STEM of 5.41% and 24.19% respectively (Government of Canada 2021).

Furthermore, young girls often have more social pressure to reject a career path and follow a more “traditional” lifestyle as a mother. Thus, making studying math as more defying and a rejection of traditional norms than it is for men (Charles et al. 2014).

The discriminatory ideation forced upon young girls not only impacts their life choices, but has a greater effect on how society treats women in the workplace. The pay wage gap between men and women is still an ongoing issue in Canada, as well as throughout the world. Careers in STEM have been integral to the advancements in technology and are subsequently paid on average more than their non-STEM counter parts (Government of Canada 2021). Due to STEM careers being traditionally dominated by men, this creates a clear discrepancy in the average income men earn compared to women. 

By continuing to encourage women and girls to further their education in heavily math-focused STEM fields, there is hope that the wage gap can be diminished, and eventually cease to exist.

References

Beckwith, Jon and Durkin John. 1981. “Science and the Attack on Women:Girls, Boys and Math.” Science for the People. Vol 13 No. 5. Science for the People Magazine Vol. 13, No. 5.

Charles, Maria, Bridget Harr, Erin Cech, and Alexandra Hendley. 2014. “Who Likes Math Where? Gender Differences in Eighth-Graders’ Attitudes around the World.” International Studies in Sociology of Education 24 (1): 85–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2014.895140.

Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. 2021. “Gender Differences in STEM Enrolment and Graduation: What Are the Roles of Academic Performance and Preparation?” November 24. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021011/article/00004-eng.htm.

Ingalhalikar, Madhura, Alex Smith, Drew Parker, et al. 2014. “Sex Differences in the Structural Connectome of the Human Brain.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111 (2): 823–28. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316909110.

Xin, Jiang, Yaoxue Zhang, Yan Tang, and Yuan Yang. 2019. “Brain Differences Between Men and Women: Evidence From Deep Learning.” Frontiers in Neuroscience 13 (March). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00185.