Gender and science in education

Abstract

Interest in gender and subject choice derives mainly from two concerns: equality between the sexes, which focuses on the need to avoid sexual discrimination in education; and the shortage of female representation in certain fields of higher education, particularly in scientific and technical areas. In the fields of science and mathematics education, these concerns have given rise to a body of research which goes back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the United States of America, the initial focus was on sex differences in performance but this soon widened to include the factor of differences in the choice of courses. In Britain, similar research in the 1970s and early 1980s concentrated on the under-representation of girls in science education and possible causes for it. Results showed that in 1974 boys outnumbered girls in studying physics at Ordinary level 4:1, at CSE level 8:1, and in chemistry 2:1. However girls outnumbered boys 2:1 in biology.