Promotion and Retention of Women in Mathematics :: Mathematical Careers Education Essays

Promotion and Retention of Women in Mathematics How do we refer and retain more women in the field of mathematics? Women now look at up n primordial half the undergraduate math majors in the U.S. (1993 Annual Survey of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical familiarity of America) yet in graduate math programs, only about one-quarter of the American students atomic number 18 women (Adhikari & Nolan, 1997, p. 17). For women who choose SME (Science, Mathematics, Engineering) majors, persistence rates in the major are importantly lower than that of male peers. (Seymour, 1995, p. 438) I am interested in the topic because I am a female who experienced move undergraduate and graduate mathematics degrees. I want to know what I can do to help motivate other women in mathematics. piece information the literature, I became aware of subtle personal experiences that par each(prenominal)eled common experiences of women prosecute mathematics majors. Whereas I had inform ally considered my attempts at fair, consistent treatment for all students to be positively related to motivating women (and other minorities) in mathematics, upon reading the literature a strong case is made for additional stay to different groups.Although I will focus the majority of the paper on college experiences that influence women in SME majors, literature also points to the influence of pre-college coursework. Maple and Stage (1991) raise that students who took more science and math courses in superior instruct were significantly more likely to choose science and math majors in college (Trusty, 2002). Farmer, Wardrop, Anderson, and Risinger (1995) found victorious elective science courses in high school had a moderate direct effect onpersistence for women in science-related careers, but taking elective math courses did not. (p. 163) Although in this research taking elective math courses was not found to effect persistence of women in science-related careers, I contend that math courses are still critical as they are prerequisites for science electives of chemistry and physics. The National Science Foundation has reported, unripened women have lower interest in math courses and take fewer advanced math courses (Farmer, Wardrop, Anderson and Risinger, 1995, p. 157). In addition, Seymour and Hewitt (1997) found the effects of inadequate high school preparation to be the most common contributor to early decisions to switch from SME (science, mathematics, engineering) majors to non-SME majors (p. 79). Seymour (1995) also points out that studies have note the subtle deterrents to active participation in mathematics and science which offer upon precollege girls (p.