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Girls as Good as Boys at Math

July 25, 2008 RSS Feed Print

The notion that girls aren't as good at math as boys is unfounded, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Girls perform as well as boys on standardized math tests in every grade, from second through 11th, though there is evidence of slightly greater variability in test scores for boys.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and published today in Science magazine, compares the performances of 7 million students from 10 states. It uses data from the annual math tests required by the No Child Left Behind legislation.

Researchers also looked at SAT results, where boys usually outperform girls in math—in 2007 boys scored an average of 533 on the math section of the SAT, while girls averaged 499. The study concludes that since more girls take the test—100,000 more in 2007—the scores cannot be validly compared. The researchers note that on the ACT, which has a similar gender gap, the differences disappeared when state officials in Colorado and Illinois required that all students take the test.

The findings come three years after Lawrence Summers, the former president of Harvard, sparked a heated debate by questioning women's "intrinsic aptitude" in science and engineering. Part of why he got into trouble was because he didn't have strong evidence to back up his musings. For all the grumbling about standardized tests, they do provide some excellent data.

Tags:: math,; ACT,; students,; SAT

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This subject is interesting. I will start by saying I am a woman in Software Engineering and HATE math. Not because I can't do it but it is not easy for me to understand and it annoys the heck out of me. On the other hand, my husband can sit down and just sort of know how to figure out a mathematical problem. I don't believe that women cannot do math or be good at math, but I do believe that we learn differently and it isn't something most of us can do easily. Although I know there are some women that math comes naturally to. While I think its great that women are becoming interested in math, I get irritated when they pull the gender card. We aren't the same as men and you would think that by now, with all the accomplishments women have made we would be comfortable enough with ourselves that we could just embrace our own difficulties and accomplishments. I don't hear men yelling when people say that they aren't as accomplished in reading or writing or God Forbid their emotions. Dear God what a load of crap.
God made us different period. Ladies get comfortable with yourselves, enjoy what you do, and go after what you want. Just because its hard doesn't mean you can't do it, but for God's sake (and mine) please quit complaining about how you compare with men, and quit thinking you can be one, because you can't!

Danyiell of CO 11:45PM October 18, 2008

To The Truth of IL:
It does not seem very logical to me to base your opinion of all women on the ten whom you met in college! How did these ten get into your class of 200? Were they chosen for their ability or for some political reason?
If you believe that no woman has contributed to math or science or art, then you need to study some history!

Nonna of SF of CA 7:25PM July 31, 2008

I'm not sure whether the recent study or the comments are more enlightening. For one, there's obviously a great deal of sexism and apprehension, as well as plain ignorance out there.
For one, a question such as "are boys or girls better at math?" is not a well-posed question, and not one settled by (the dozen or so) large studies comparing group accomplishment on standardized exams.
What bothers me is the perverse dedication of most papers and most people commenting about them to the mean, that is to the average. Maybe if we weren't so fixated at looking at the averages of large statistical data sets we'd be more able to deal with some important issues facing us, instead of debating the same silly talking points. After all, average people are generally not recognized for accomplishment in mathematics or the sciences--the Nobel and Fields medals are given to a very select few, and those are usually male. There are simply proportionately more males at the extremes of intelligences, at the extremes of almost any measure; more really smart ones and more really dumb ones, more really athletic ones and more really obese ones. One of the few categories where women consistently are at the top is surviving, both more at the beginning of life and at the end. But that's just another reflection of more biological variability in males, which is often costly, to people and society that fails to grasp that.
And when on occasion males point out this obvious statistical fact, even while acknowledging that females on average have higher IQs and so forth, they get booed by crazed post-feminist sympathizers; sadly even at bastions of learning, such as Haaaaavard -- out of sheer ignorance, spite and fear.
But what does it matter? The next person you meet, male or female, may have trouble adding, or may just be able to juggle differential equations in his or her head.
Maybe a more important question to ask is why do we keep reiterating the same question, if not to get our pant(ies) in a bunch...

Joseph of DC 7:58PM July 29, 2008

Girls as Good as Boys at Math

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