More on influence of stereotypes...

[cthulhu_dream]

This article discusses a long term study of children that looks at how boys and girls are influenced by their parents in their performance and interest in math. They found that girls' interest in math decreases as their fathers' gender stereotypes increase, whereas boys' interest in math increases as their fathers' gender stereotypes increase

Comments

[amatol]

I wrote a research paper for an English class on math and gender once... it was actually quite interesting. There are differences in how men and women process information but they end up coming to the same results, and there is also a greater varience in male performance than in female performance... also environment plays a bigger effect on girls than boys (but this may be because girls have generally a more negative environment). I think I still have my reference page if anyone wants to see the research links I found.

I know from my own experience I hesitated quite a while before deciding to major in physics, mainly because I was always told how hard it was and I might not be smart enough, maybe not actively discouraged but not exactly encouraged either... never by physics teachers mind you, but counselors and my mother. I seriously felt like I was being presumptuous to think I could attempt to study it. I never really thought I personally had gender stereotypes though (they never outright told me it was because I was a girl, but I have a feeling if I was a boy they would have encouraged me), but as I am not really gifted at math I think I was easily discouraged.(though I am discovering I don't suck at math, I just actually need to do the homework and study to pass a test)

[cthulhu_dream]

My mom discouraged me from studying physics at university because I didn't do very well in it in high school (math was my best subject... I blame my problems with physics on my teacher). Hell, I was discouraged. I still took physics in first year, and I wound up doing really well, even better than biology (which I was always good at). I think she just wanted me to pick a subject I was guaranteed to do well in. Both of my parents were of the opinion that you had to be a genius to do well in physics (lol!).