Work

Mathematical stories: why do more boys than girls choose to study mathematics at AS‐level in England?

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: In this paper I address the question: How is it that people come to choose mathematics and in what ways is this process gendered? I draw on the findings of a qualitative research study involving interviews with 43 young people all studying mathematics in post‐compulsory education in England. Working within a post‐structuralist framework, I argue that gender is a project and one that is achieved in interaction with others. Through a detailed reading of Toni and Claudia’s stories I explore the tensions for young women who are engaging in mathematics, something that is discursively inscribed as masculine, while (understandably) being invested in producing themselves as female. I conclude by arguing that seeing ‘doing mathematics’ as ‘doing masculinity’ is a productive way of understanding why mathematics is so male dominated and by looking at the implications of this understanding for gender and mathematics reform work.

Source: British Journal of Sociology of Education

DOI: 10.1080/0142569042000294192

Author: Heather Mendick

Institution: Lancaster University

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Sexuality, and Education

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council