Original: English
DATE:
NUMBER:
TITLE: The Participation of Girls and
Young Women in Science and Mathematics Education
INTRODUCTION: Barriers still
discourage many young women from enrolling in physics, chemistry, and advanced
mathematics at the secondary school level, thus pre-empting their choice of
post-secondary programs in science and engineering. The enrolment of women in
Canadian undergraduate engineering programs increased from 12 percent to just
under 20 percent between 1989 and 1993. The number of women graduate students
and faculty also remains dismally low and have not followed gains at the
undergraduate levels (3,8). Other professions such as medicine, law, dentistry,
and veterinary medicine have reached and maintained gender-balanced enrolments
for some time. This points clearly to the existence of subtle barriers in
engineering and physical science programs. The climate, culture, teaching styles
and curricula must all be modified in ways that integrate women's needs if these
barriers are to be removed.
DESCRIPTION: Systemic barriers
at the secondary school level include (3,5,8,11):
Cultural influences and gender-role stereotyping
at home and at school;
The lack of women role models as teachers and in
textbooks;
Teaching styles: studies have shown that only 5
percent of the population has a "mentally-centred" learning style, yet
most science, mathematics and engineering teaching is done in that style, while
85 percent of both women and men prefer a relationally-centred style (1);
Misperceptions that many non-traditional
occupations are for men only: many parents, teachers and career counsellors
place more importance on and greater expectations for the career plans of boys
than for those of girls and show more concern for the overall performance of
boys;
Physical appearance rather than a good education
are emphasized for girls in popular and teen culture;
Erosion of self-esteem in girls between the age
of thirteen and seventeen affects their performance and choices (7);
The message that "brains and femininity are
incompatible" may come from boys, parents, other girls, and some educators
(11);
School board policies, expectations of
universities and attitudes of employers may also be a problem.
At the university level also, sexist bias exists
and appears in various forms:
Women are consistently under-represented in
textbooks: examples and references relate to masculine interests, women and men
are depicted in stereotypical roles;
There are few women faculty available as role
models (2,3,8);
Most courses are taught with a narrow focus on
particular topics, without links to broader societal realities;
Myths based on a masculine view of excellence --
concerning merit, awards and appointments and also the value of intellectual
work and success in seeking funding and recognition -- are prejudicial to
women's success and to their integration into these fields (2);
With regard to course content, "a prevalent
attitude is that the presence of emotional, personal issues and
feelings...indicates the absence of academic and intellectual content."
Granting agencies provide funding to researchers
who perform their work in what are narrowly defined by grant selection
committees -- still (in Canada) completely male-dominated -- as "good
research areas and methods". These factors work against the women whose
research interests and methods lie outside the currently narrowly defined world
of scholarship. "Unwritten rules of conduct and behaviour, defined by men
over a long period of time are often an unknown quantity for women, and when
broken, can cause their career great harm and or irreparable damage" (2;
supported by personal communications from women faculty).
Differences between masculine and feminine
perspectives have more to do with culture than with competence or contribution.
Showing a better understanding and esteem for the differences that
persist will make women feel more welcome. In developing effective policies, it
is also important to study and understand differences that may exist at the
various educational levels. Recent reports of the Canadian Committee on Women in
Engineering (CCWE)(3) and the National Advisory Board of Science and Technology
(NABST)(8) have encouraged organizations to set goals and draw-up achievable
plans to create an educational system without systemic barriers, challenging and
comfortable for both genders and for people of all races.
Current endeavours to combat sexism in science
and mathematics classrooms include:
Education faculties sensitizing future teachers
about systemic sexism in the classroom;
Workshops with parents and career counsellors to
encourage them to be a positive influence, to avoid stereotyping and to
challenge girls as much as boys to develop their full potential;
Some schools (teachers) select textbooks which do
not portray women and men in traditional stereotyped roles, books that include
profiles of women scientists, engineers, mathematicians; (here, the province of
Quebec is a good example);
Some provinces have achieved an equal
representation of women in mathematics and sciences classes at the secondary
level: (Quebec and Saskatchewan are good examples);
Some schools are using a cooperative learning
environment in classes, others have adopted a single-sex approach (6), or a
content and teaching style that incorporates the experiences and interests of
girls (1,6,12);
Videos have been produced on careers in
engineering (4) and science (13), showing how engineers and scientists apply
their knowledge to the benefit of humankind, to solve problems, and to design
the world we live and work in; such videos make these careers more visible and
appealing to young women;
Mentor programs, where young women students meet
women in non traditional occupations, create a long-term support needed to
eliminate the barriers.
A new idea involves introducing the concepts and
methods involved in problem-solving (engineering) into the existing science and
mathematics courses at the secondary level and introducing early and basic
notions that pertain to the various engineering fields would bring these fields
closer to the students at a critical time when they are considering their
options and their careers. It is vital to ensure that the content and delivery
creates a positive image for young women, to equalize some of the unbalance that
currently exists in the system, and to provide them with self-confidence in an
area from which they have been discouraged (directly or indirectly) to
participate.
At the post secondary level much is also needed
to change the climate and culture for women:
Universities should encourage the use of
gender-inclusive language and the creation of a non-threatening environment in
the classroom -- teaching assessment questionnaires should ask students about
this aspect in each class;
Universities could distribute a booklet on
gender-inclusive language to each instructor (10) and provide gender-sensitivity
training to faculty, staff and graduate assistants;
Faculties should track students on academic
probation and develop a mentor program, especially for students in minority
groups;
Special efforts should be made to attract and
fund women students in graduate programs: they form the pool for future women
faculty;
Studies are needed to identify gender differences
in graduate student funding, and the quality of relationships with supervisors;
Women faculty need to be proactively sought and
hired. Objective hiring criteria would be based on the availability of women in
the pool of graduates -- it is frequent to observe that even where affirmative
action policies exist, the policy is often ignored or given lip service;
Caplan's meritocracy myth (2) must be exposed and
attitudes changed on how excellence is defined.
The use of a cooperative learning and teaching
style creates a positive environment and team work with which women are
comfortable (1); -- it has also been shown to be far more effective than the
traditional method for both women and men students alike (12,14). In addition,
relating topics to societal realities would be most effective (1,9). The
curriculum should develop multidisciplinary topics that are related to the
quality of the environment and the quality of life; examples are: biophysics,
environmental engineering, biomedical engineering, water resources engineering,
biological engineering, etc. Such programs in Canada have achieved
gender-balanced enrolments. In contrast, topics which are narrowly-focused and
classical in their approach find the lowest enrolment of women. When these
courses are 'humanized' with some societal context, they will certainly be
attended by greater numbers of women.
CONCLUSION: The current 'culture
of science' originates from the middle-ages and from the industrial revolution
(9). One of the negative aspects of this culture passed down from these early
times is 'man's domination and control of nature, of the planet and of its
natural resources'. This image has deterred many talented women and men
from considering the study of science (14). The perception (or reality) of a
masculine culture in science creates a systemic barrier for many women. But
their absence deprives these fields of an enriching perspective. Strategies must
be sought to successfully eradicate sexism and harassment in our universities.
Aspects of the current culture that make some women feel uncomfortable must be
identified and ways sought to integrate and value feminine perspectives,
especially in the creation of new scholarly work.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. Brooks C. (1986) "Instructor's Handbook:
Working with Female Relational Learners in Technology and Trades Training."
Fanshawe College and Ontario Ministry of Skills Development, Toronto, Canada.
2. Caplan, P. (1992) "Lifting a Ton of
Feathers. A Woman's Guide to Surviving in the Academic World". (A project
of the Council of Ontario Universities Committee on the Status of Women),
University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.
3. CCWE (1992) "More Than Just
Numbers". Report of the Canadian Committee on Women in Engineering. Copies
can be obtained from M. Frize, UNB, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3.
4. Frize M., McGinn-Giberson, J., Shelton, C.
(1992) "Engineering: Design Tomorrow's World". VHS Video, 22 min.,
Northern Telecom-NSERC Women in Engineering Chair, UNB, Fredericton, NB, Canada
E3B 5A3.
5. Hall, R.M. and Sandler B.R. (1982) "The
Classroom Climate". Project on the Status and Education of Women.
Association of American Colleges, Washington, D.C.
6. Gillbert C. (1991) "An experiment in
Female Friendly Chemistry". CCWE Conference, Fredericton, May; Montreal
Forum, January.
7. Greenberg-Lake, The Analysis Group Inc. (1990)
"Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America". American Association of
University Women, Sept./Nov.
8. NABST (National Advisory Board of Science and
Technology) report, March 1993, 240 Sparks St., 8th Floor West, Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0H5
9. Noble D.F. (1992) "A World Without
Women". Technology Review, May-June: 52-60
10. Ontario Women's Directorate (1993)
"Words that Count Women In" 2 Carlton St., 12th floor, Toronto,
Ontario M5B 2M9.
11. Peltz W.H. (1990) "Can Girls + Science -
Stereotypes = Success? Subtle Sexism in Science Studies". The Science
Teacher, December: 44-49.
12. Rogers P. (1988) "Gender Differences in
Mathematical Ability-Perceptions vs Performance." ICME-6, Budapest, July.
13. S.C.W.I.S.T. "What Do Scientists
DO?"
14. Tobias S. (1990) "They're not dumb,
they're different". Research Corporation, 6840 East Broadway Boulevard,
Tucson, Arizona 85710-2815.
__________________
The Working Group thanks Monique Frize
(University of New Brunswick) and Jane McGinn-Giberson for their collaboration
in preparing this "Brief".
This "Brief" is one of a series of six.
The others are: Science and Mathematics Education in a New Social and
Economic Context; The Education of Science and Mathematics Teachers; Measuring
Success in Science and Mathematics Education; Information and Communication
Technologies in Science and Mathematics Education; Partnerships to Strengthen
Science and Mathematics Education. The views expressed in this
"Brief" do not necessarily represent those of the Canadian Commission
for UNESCO, but rather reflect those of the Commission's Sub-Commission on
Natural Sciences and its Working Group.
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