Gender, culture, and mathematics performance.

Full Abstract

Using contemporary data from the U.S. and other nations, we address 3 questions: Do gender differences in mathematics performance exist in the general population? Do gender differences exist among the mathematically talented? Do females exist who possess profound mathematical talent? In regard to the first question, contemporary data indicate that girls in the U.S. have reached parity with boys in mathematics performance, a pattern that is found in some other nations as well. Focusing on the second question, studies find more males than females scoring above the 95th or 99th percentile, but this gender gap has significantly narrowed over time in the U.S. and is not found among some ethnic groups and in some nations. Furthermore, data from several studies indicate that greater male variability with respect to mathematics is not ubiquitous. Rather, its presence correlates with several measures of gender inequality. Thus, it is largely an artifact of changeable sociocultural factors, not immutable, innate biological differences between the sexes. Responding to the third question, we document the existence of females who possess profound mathematical talent. Finally, we review mounting evidence that both the magnitude of mean math gender differences and the frequency of identification of gifted and profoundly gifted females significantly correlate with sociocultural factors, including measures of gender equality across nations.

Author information

Author/s: Hyde, Janet S (JS); Mertz, Janet E (JE);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. jshyde(-atsign-)wisc.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Jun; vol 106 (issue 22) : pp 8801-7

Dates: Created 2009/06/05; Completed 2009/06/17; Revised 2009/10/06;

PMID: 19487665, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/6/2009, IMS Date: 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 15;106(37):E101. (PMID: 19805201)

CommentIn: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 15;106(37):E102; author reply E103. (PMID: 19805202)

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