According to University of Wisconsin psychologist Janet Hyde, PhD., "Even when girls are getting better grades, boys are more confident in math..."
Hyde et al found that, "the more gender equity a country had -- measured by school enrollment, women's share of research jobs and women's parliamentary representation -- the smaller its gender gap."
Hyde concluded that, "When girls see opportunities for themselves in science, technology, engineering and math, they're more likely to pursue those careers."
This made me wonder what I could do in terms of using technology to help my female students see opportunities. How could I help to make them aware of female math and science trailblazers? I feel that the best examples for girls to emulate would be those female mathematicians, scientists and computer scientists who were able to be phenomenally successful at a time when there were next to no women in their field. When I look at such successful women, I think to myself, how incredibly skilled in math and science and also how wonderfully resilient they must have learned to be to make it against such odds. If our girls have these examples in mind, they will be able to succeed in the environment we have in our society today, which though not perfect, is already much improved. To this end, I've added a page to my Millwood Math Zone website all about women in science and math. https://sites.google.com/a/tdsb.on.ca/millwood-math-zone/female-role-models
P.S. This post is dedicated to my two daughters and all the female math students I have ever taught or will teach. I hope that I always communicated to you that I believe in you. You can absolutely excell in math and science!
