Math is something that everyone may not describe as their favorite thing to do in the world, despite that it’s necessary to move on in school as a kid and to understand a lot about life as an adult. Whether everyone loves math or not, one thing is clear; math does not discriminate. It is something that is all inclusive for everyone to enjoy (or not) and it should be available for everyone’s enjoyment. Although math is something that truly has something for everyone, the field of mathematics is predominantly made up of men. Leading up to Women’s History Month (March 2020), some of you might wonder, why are there so many men who decide to go into more math dominant careers? Are there barriers that make it difficult for mathematicians who are parents – especially mothers – to hang onto or advance in their careers in the math industry while be present and raising a family? Is there a way to garner more women in mathematics?
No doubt, conversation is happening around women and math and what can be done to help welcome them and award them for their contributions in the field. Currently, about 30% of all doctoral degrees in mathematics earned in the U.S. are by women, according to the National Science Foundation and those statistics have fallen over the last few years. This also happens to coincide with U.S. math test scores on SAT and ACT exams dropping in number, too. It’s not that women are inherently not as good at math as men, so what are the factors that are making women chose math careers less? Let’s examine some of the factors that could be leading to why less women are choosing to go into math fields.
One reason why men dominate math and science fields is possibly because of gendered socialization in which girls are indirectly and sometimes directly taught to avoid careers dominated by men. Past research has also shown bias at the university level toward ranking men’s resumes and journal articles higher than that of women. Studies have been done by RAISE, a group dedicated to increase the number of women receiving math and science degrees and awards. They have shown that women growing up knowing there’s a significant skew toward men in math and science fields, perhaps interferes with their mental abilities and confidence, which could explain why women display a lower performance in the fields.
Another possibility for women choosing professions outside of math related careers is wage gap. One could argue that there’s unequal compensation in many careers outside of math between women and men, and that’s true. However, the gap seems to be larger in math and science careers. According to the same National Science Foundation report, women working in science and engineering fields made less than men working in the same jobs in 2017 and 2018. Women’s median fulltime annual salary was $66,000, versus the median salary for men was $90,000, which denotes that for every dollar men were paid, women were paid 73 cents. Even if certain companies do pay equal salary to women and men, if the perception is that the field is unequal in pay, it could be a deterrent for Millennials, some of which are still figuring out their long-term career paths.
A final reason why math and science careers are lacking women is because many women leave full-time positions after having their first child. A study that was done by University of Michigan Ann Arbor says that 40% of women who are in math and science disciplines leave their careers after they have children – that’s almost half! Some of this is likely due to want, but some might also be because of pressure to have their career take a back seat in the face of home life. While the study doesn’t address when women who choose to leave once they have children go back to their careers full-time, there is a much more significant percent of women who adjust their careers in math and science fields versus men once they have children.
Are there any wins with women and math, you might be thinking? Yes, there are. For one, schools are beginning to recognize the gap and there are programs being created that are specifically geared toward girls who are the potential women mathematicians of tomorrow. By having a place not just dominated by boys, the idea is that they will garner confidence in their prowess within their comfort zone. They also are forming a community of like-minded girls that will eventually be able to the use their skills in university settings among mixed genders. Another win is Karen Uhlenbeck winning the Abel prize, a top award in mathematics, in 2019. She is the first women to win the award since it was established in 2003. And lastly, there’s currently an initiative to make May 12th a day for celebrating the achievements of women in mathematics. This is honor of Maryam Mirzakhani’s birthday, the first and only woman to win another prestigious math award called the Field Medal.
Math is for everyone. And we’re happy to celebrate the math accomplishments of everyone – women and men, big and small. If your child is feeling like they could use some more math accomplishments lately, whether it means struggling less on homework or crushing their next math exam, bring them into Mathnasium of Littleton.
