Why Girls are "Dumb at Math"
Monday October 23, 2006
Category: Gender and Sexuality
A new study has shown that girls who are taught gender essentialism are less likely to perform well on math tests:
If the educational experiences of girls were valued in this country, the results of this study would put an end to the mandatory public school sex-segregation movement. But the truth is that many proponents of the movement already know the effects of telling girls they're not smart enough, or smarter in "different ways" than boys--because they have 6,000 years of anecdotal data to fall back on. This study will come as no surprise to them, just as it comes as no surprise to the officials in Saudi Arabia who enforce a system of gender apartheid to prevent women from achieving parity in the culture or workforce.
Voluntary sex-segregation in private schools is a basic right in this country--always has been, and always will be. But this study is only the latest illustration of how a system of mandatory gender apartheid in public schools, based on culturally reinforced "learning differences," would be harmful to girls and the women they will grow up to become.
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A new study has shown that girls who are taught gender essentialism are less likely to perform well on math tests:
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability.
And women who heard there were differences caused by environment -- such as math teachers giving more attention to boys -- outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.
The women who did better in the tests got nearly twice as many right answers as those in the other groups, explained Steven J. Heine, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
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Voluntary sex-segregation in private schools is a basic right in this country--always has been, and always will be. But this study is only the latest illustration of how a system of mandatory gender apartheid in public schools, based on culturally reinforced "learning differences," would be harmful to girls and the women they will grow up to become.
Take Action:
Comments
Your whole argument is based on a result that does not really show what it purports to show.
Even if true, does that mean we should prevent scientists from making hypothesis about gender differences.
What about all the difference feminist who keep complaining about how violent men and boys are. Are they also just violent because the are being told so?
If so, then violence in men and boys are caused be the same feminists who keep blaiming men and boys for it. What a paradox. Can you see where your theory leads?
Actually, the way most feminists address male violence is a perfect model for how we should deal with other gender essentialist claims. Because if you ask almost any real feminist activist, nearly all will tell you that boys are not intrinsically and irredeemably violent–they’re made so by our culture. Think about it: If that were really the prevailing feminist belief system, would I be an elected NOW officer?
Most of the folks who say that boys and men are violent by nature are in fact antifeminist “men’s movement” types who are attempting to legislate a lax, boys-will-be-boys approach to bullying, harassment, and other forms of male violence–the same people, generally, who also say that girls are intrinsically bad at math and that gender apartheid should be our goal.
There are, of course, some feminists who do happen to be gender essentialists, and for some of them maybe your argument could be applicable–but they make up a prohibitively tiny minority of feminists, and I don’t know if there are any prominent boys-will-be-boys gender essentialists among feminists who oppose gender segregation. My gut tells me that there probably aren’t.
So enough straw women. Let’s discuss the real problem here, which is that gender essentialism–as represented both in legitimate scientific views and illegitimate pseudoscientific fig leafs–is being used to back up the right-wing gender apartheid agenda, in much the same way that “creation science,” global warming “skepticism,” and “scientific racialism” are being used to prop up other unsavory agendas. This study only serves to confirm the dangers of gender essentialism as a pedagogical foundation. It is fundamentally anti-woman.
As I said in a later blog entry: We must fight this.
Cheers,
TH
Dear Hans,
Negative stereotypical ideas about men can be found among all genders. Although there are some feminists with strange ideas about men, feminism most definitely doesn’t equal misandry. Difference feminism, which is just one of many different branches of feminism is about the idea that there are inherent differences between men and women, this isn’t the same as believing men are inherently violent.
Although it is true there a lot of folks who are easily influenced, it isn’t mandatory to live up to the expectations and believes of others. That goes for men and violence as well as women and math.
There’s nothing wrong with doing research on gender differences, so long as we understand that all which scientists can currently provide us with are hypotheses and recognize there are quite a few people who will never fit the “scientific mold”. If too much emphasize is put on gender difference hypotheses we might fail to address the real reasons why some kids do better in school than other’s and risk ignoring the needs and potentials of a lot of people.
In my previous message I meant to type emphasis not emphasize.
Sorry!
Years ago, men who were opposed to giving women the vote or any other rights, opportunities, and freedoms claimed that women lacked the capacity to reason, that they would be corrupted by politics (as if men weren’t), that their reproductive organs would be “underdeveloped” if they pursued higher education, that they were too emotional, blah, blah, blah. These stupid and ridiculous prejudices have prevented women from fulfilling their goals and dreams and from significantly contributing to society (aside from making babies and cooking meals, that is) for far too long. We have abilities, talents, and skills that are crying to be used, and we should not let ANYONE stop us from doing so because of some people’s narrow-mindedness. Women MAY be different from men in some ways, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re HUMAN, too!
veronica i agree on what you just said!
im so sick of all those men who blame feminism and feminists for everything bad going on their lives! im happy that they’ll stand up for the gals! i know SOME feminists over-do themselves, but the fact that they blame every feminist out there, just shows how coward they are! i like moderate feminists and the purpose of feminism is the fight for equalence