Do stereotypes influence how teachers and parents see boys and girls’ maths performance?

Gender stereotypes are an issue in maths teaching from a young age. Stock picture.

Many people would expect that professional judgements by teachers would reflect objective assessments of children’s ability, so that if children were above average on nationally validated standardised maths tests, whether they were boys or girls would make no difference to the teachers’ perception of their performance in that area.

Maths is a gender-marked subject with boys doing better than girls at the very highest level other than in a small number of countries such as Sweden.

Although girls’ performance relative to boys in maths in Ireland has been improving, the stereotype that maths is a ‘boys subject’ and that boys are more likely than girls to do well at maths persists.

Mathematical ability is perceived as a marker of intelligence in Ireland. This is reflected in the fact that in the Leaving Certificate (as in the case of calculated grades), bonus points are given for performance in that subject.

The educational system in Ireland operates simultaneously with two conflicting assumptions: that gender is irrelevant in the sense that gender stereotypes do not exist, and that gender is vitally important in affecting subject choice. The question as to whether teachers’ perception of their students’ maths ability is affected by gender stereotypes is typically not even considered.

Parents' perceptions are also important. The question arises as to whether their perception of their children’s maths ability solely reflects their actual performance on tests – or whether it is also affected by gender stereotypes.

The data was collected from interviews with 8,578 nine-year-olds (representing one-in-seven nine-year-old children), their parents and their teachers as well as these children’s scores on standardised maths tests in the Growing Up in Ireland study and other characteristics of children and their families.

It found that at nine years old, girls’ performance at maths was underestimated by both teachers and parents relative to boys. 

This occurred at all levels of achievement showing a clear gender bias against girls.

But the gap was widest for high-performing girls.

It appears that stereotypes about boys being excellent/above average in maths persist among both teachers and parents. These are so strong that they override the evidence of the girls’ and boys’ own achievements in nationally validated standardised maths tests.

Thus girls, even where their performance on these tests is objectively excellent, are not always perceived as such.

The gap between perception and objective reality is greater among parents than among teachers. 

It is possible that the smaller gap in the case of teachers reflects the impact of another stereotype: that of girls as compliant responsible students.

This may help offset the stereotype that girls are not as good as boys at maths.

The fact that, as early as nine years old, girls’ performance at maths is being underestimated by teachers and parents is worrying.

It is highly likely that this will impact on girls’ subsequent maths performance and their academic self-concept in a society where maths is highly valued as an indicator of intelligence.

It will certainly impact on girls’ career choice, since maths is seen as a key element in pursuing highly valued careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Frequent calls for girls to consider such careers are likely to be ineffective when girls from as young as nine years old have learned that even if they excel in this area, their teachers and parents do not necessarily perceive them as excellent or above average.

They may well feel that they are better off choosing areas which are more compatible with existing gender stereotypes, such as ‘being good with people’, thus perpetuating their position in lower paid and less personally satisfying career positions.

Children, through their positive attitudes towards school in general, and maths in particular and their academic self-concept, can help to challenge these stereotypes and hence influence how parents and teachers perceive their ability in maths.

In the context of the move towards teacher-assessed grading in many education systems during the Covid-19 pandemic, understanding whether and why gender-stereotyping occurs becomes even more pressing.

The results show that both parents’ and teachers’ assessments of children’s maths competence reflect not only these children’s actual achievements, but stereotypes that boys have ‘superior mathematical ability’.

Other work needs to be done on the extent to which this over-estimation of boys’ abilities exists in other subject areas and the extent to which it is reflected in boys’ and men’s wider sense of entitlement: a phenomenon which is related to the international reproduction of male privilege inside the home and in the wider society.

Professor Pat O’ Connor, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Limerick and Visiting Professor, Geary Institute, UCD.

Professor Selina McCoy, Associate Research Professor, ESRI, Professor of Sociology, Trinity College Dublin.

Professor Delma Byrne, Associate Professor, Departments of Sociology and Education Maynooth University