Gender: Male Dominance in Education

"Women tested in single-sex groups scored a 70 percent accuracy rate on math exams; women tested in groups in which they were outnumbered by men scored a 58 percent accuracy rate."

The above is from an article in Science Daily entitled, "Women Perform Better in Math When Tested Without Men, Study Says." The original article can be viewed here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/09/000913083409.htm

These findings are based on the research of Michael Inzlicht. They were published in Psychological Science, a scholarly journal dedicated to, among other things, the study of the social realm of human beings from a psychological perspective. The research was conducted by Inzlicht, a graduate student of psychology, and a group of Brown University undergrads.

The article continues:

"Being outnumbered may cause females to suffer from a stereotype threat, a situational phenomenon that occurs when targets of a stereotype - in this case, the idea that women do not perform as well as men in math - are reminded of that stereotype."

The experiments conducted by Inzlicht were not limited to females alone. There was both a control group and an experimental group used to test the hypothesis. Alongside females, male students were tested in both single-sex groups and groups in which they were outnumbered by females. According to Inzlicht, "Different gender ratios never resulted in changes in male test performance; men constantly registered about 67 percent accuracy in math exams." The exact methodology used to obtain this data is not mentioned in Science Daily.

In response to these findings, I feel they stress the fact that gender specific groups can be directly influenced by the enculturating processes that occur in North American society. Even in these modern times, it does appear that many women continue to be taught that such disciplines as math, chemistry, and physics are disciplines reserved for those of the male gender alone. It must be stressed that the negative impact on gender is not physiological, as some might think. It is sociological. "Stereotypical threats" do not occur in testing environments entirely comprised of females. It seems that only when female students are in male dominated situations that the stereotypical effects can be observed. The real question is, does this imply that female students would fare better in learning situations that do not include men? I personally find it doubtful. Although this sort of gender specific environment could be of possible benefit to female students, I do think it would be limiting in that they would not be offered the diversity of opinion - in this case, the "male" perspective - in the classroom. Could the same be said in regard to home schooling? How about any socially restrictive situation that limits our exposure to diversity?

At any rate, here we have a prime example of the socializing effects of gender. This study is highly representative of our society as a whole. I find it unfortunate. The concept of gender, just as the concept of race, is a social construct hardly real in the biological sense. Nevertheless, it is a construct that has the power to limit a woman's role in society. Cultural diversity is undoubtedly a necessary aspect of our human condition. Without it, we wouldn't be human. It creates variability in our populations. It acts as a reminder of our own impermanence and changeability. Still, unless it is truly warranted, our cultural differences should never outweigh our potential.