This week, with all the talk about Harvey Weinstein and the Me Too campaign on social media, my mind has been very focused on ideas of male dominated spaces and power structures and how this all leads to women feeling (and being) unsafe in their day to day lives. Children can feel these inequalities and unbalanced power structures and internalize them very early. Bringing all of this back around to my teachable subject of math, I've heard that studies have shown that kids internalize ideas such as "girls are bad at math" as early as 6 or 7 years old. How does this happen? How widespread is it? How can we work break down these internalized biases we all hold and create a space where young children of all genders and backgrounds have equal opportunities?
For my inquiry project I want to investigate how the school system's structures lead to so few women pursuing STEM subjects in university and in their careers. Are less girls taking STEM subjects in high school, or does the shift come later? At what age do these spaces become dominated by men. How quickly are things changing. What can we do to make them change faster?
For my inquiry project I want to investigate how the school system's structures lead to so few women pursuing STEM subjects in university and in their careers. Are less girls taking STEM subjects in high school, or does the shift come later? At what age do these spaces become dominated by men. How quickly are things changing. What can we do to make them change faster?
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