In a new study lead by Jonathan M. Kane and Janet E. Mertz from the University of Wisconsin, researchers analyzed math scores from "more than half a million fourth and eighth-graders from 86 countries." Rosalind Barnett and Caryl Rivers, in their LA Times article "Gender Equity: Doing the math" publish the analysis that this research indicates there are no gender differences between boys and girls in math performance. There is the stereotype, in at least American society, that boys are supposedly better at the science and math fields than girls. However, this study defied that stereotype, as well as the notion that recognizing young women who succeed in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will somehow have a negative consequence for boys. An interesting finding was that in this study, researchers discovered that the "more equal societies were around gender, the better everybody did in math."
This study has important implications for society. The gender role that girls are better suited in fields requiring writing and readings is outdated. I believe the authors have a valid point in that by encouraging both genders to succeed in math, all of our children will be empowered, "and in turn, society." A common counter-argument in many gender equity movements is that somehow, the males will lose out in some way. Yet it is only logical that by having more females in the fields of medicine, math and engineering, we will have more intelligent minds brainstorming to fix our current problems in society.
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