Maggie Fox points to statistics from a study published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” and to data collected from students who participated in the International Math Olympics and the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment, which illustrate that girls have the inherent or biological wherewithal to perform at the same level of boys in mathematics. This even relates to findings released in our very own One Girl: The Status of Girls in Central Ohio, which illustrated that girl students are performing at similar levels as boy students on math proficiency tests. So, to the camp which believes that girls can not succeed and excel in mathematics: YOU’RE WRONG!

                But, despite such positive statistics, we do see some gender disparities in math achievement. For instance, in the United States there are significantly less female than male mathematics professors. What explains such disparities? Fox points to historical-cultural gender inequality. For decades girls have not been as encouraged as boys to excel at math and jobs which involve complex math skills are typically considered by the culture to be male jobs. I think that this must be rooted in the women’s historical roles; across cultures, women were often limited to the domestic sphere, where they were not encouraged to succeed in math and did not need math for their day to day work, especially because they were typically not in charge of managing the household finances.

                This only highlights the need to encourage girls to enjoy math and to be confident in their mathematical abilities. When I was in 8^th grade, I had a challenging, but great teacher who really encouraged boys and girls to excel at math. I ended up being the only student in the school to score a 100% on the 8^th grade Math CBE (Credit By Exam) test, and I greatly attribute that success to my teacher’s dedication to my own academic development as well as her egalitarian math teaching methods. At the Women’s Fund we have been talking a lot about the significance of mentoring in girls’ lives lately. Perhaps mentoring would be a great approach to nurture girls’ confidence in their math abilities and to teach them that they are not inherently inferior in the subject! As I go on to teach secondary chemistry in the D.C. area next fall, I will certainly remember Maggie Fox’s article and the power of mentoring and dedication to girls’ math skills as I try to empower girls as best as I can to be confident in using their math skills in my class.

 By Katie, Clonan-Roy, WFCO Intern