Saturday, July 26, 2008

Girls and boys are equally good in Math

A news article published in Time, overturns the idea that girls are bad in math. The article explains that a report made by researchers at University of Wisconsin and University of California, Berkeley, establishes that the gender gap is a myth.

The researchers obtained data from annual tests administered to 7.2 million students from second through eleven grade in USA and they find little difference between average math scores of boys and girls.

The fact is that the gap was a consequence of girls not taking math courses after they began high school, and this let them in disadvantage against boys who took this courses. The question is if the gap was created by the stereotype that boys are better at math, and therefore, by parents and teachers discouraging girls to continue studying this subject.

I wonder, if in a developed country as USA there is still prejudice regarding the skills of girls and boys in different areas of life, what can we expect in a country as Mexico?

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