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Original poster

Girls don't like hard math

222 replies

2New · 28/04/2022 07:24

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10759687/Fury-tiger-head-claims-female-pupils-shun-level-physics-dislike-hard-maths.html

Katharine Birbalsingh, founder of the Michaela Community free school in Wembley claims that girls can't be bothered with advanced maths 😂.

Ms Birbalsingh, chairwoman of the Government's Social Mobility Commission, said: 'I just think they don't like it. There's a lot of hard maths in there that I think they would rather not do.'

When pressed on why girls would not want to do harder maths, she added: 'The research generally … just says that's a natural thing... I don't think there's anything external.'

AIBU to think that Ms Birbalsingh is talking rubbish?

OP posts:
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RachelshouldvegonetoParis · 28/04/2022 07:26

Of course she’s talking rubbish. Why on earth wouldn’t girls like hard maths?

Unless they’ve been told from day one that they don’t?

Original poster
2New · 28/04/2022 07:28

She explains that "research shows that's just a natural thing" (that girls don't like to do maths) but then admits she's not really an expert on this topic. She is a chairwoman for social mobility.

Link to video www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10759687/Fury-tiger-head-claims-female-pupils-shun-level-physics-dislike-hard-maths.html#v-785838085765118706

OP posts:
Trulyweird1 · 28/04/2022 07:29

Ha! So the young women I know studying maths at Uni , are what? Abnormal ? Or maybe they had better teaching?
What a very depressing and simplistic view for someone in that position! Perhaps she could try talking to those that do study and understand what their path to maths greatness was .

Summerhillsquare · 28/04/2022 07:29

I should be too old to be shocked, but my god, what fucking disgraceful misogyny, from a supposed teacher!

ThatPosterIsSoRight · 28/04/2022 07:30

Well she clearly finds thinking too hard and should have Hereford find herself a nice easy new job somewhere else.

FFS

RedHelenB · 28/04/2022 07:31

How silly. Nothing to do with how hard it is. I'm some ways it's a lot easier, no essays, no revision.

ThatPosterIsSoRight · 28/04/2022 07:32

Hereford just randomly appeared there (also my phone autocorrect needs a new job)

TeenPlusCat · 28/04/2022 07:33

So all my friends from university who ALL did maths are just ... what?
What a load of rubbish.
Get rid of societal expectations and allowing boys to take over in lessons would be a start.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 28/04/2022 07:33

I had hoped we had moved past the "girls can't do maths" stereotype nonsense.

Of course girls and women can learn maths, physics, mechanics, computers etc. Everyone has different strengths, but we are capable.

But if we say girls can't do it, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I'm glad my father didn't believe in that nonsense and gave me maths puzzles etc from a young age, like he did my brother.

PermanentTemporary · 28/04/2022 07:34

Explains a hell of a lot about this country and girls' education.

I wonder what she means about not being an expert on 'this topic'? What topic? Education? Social mobility of girls? Physics? Structural and institutional sexism? The 'natural' spontaneous process by which children get Physics A level?

TheNinny · 28/04/2022 07:34

Loved maths at school, did advanced studies in it and got a degree. I’m relatively normal too. And female 😂

windynight · 28/04/2022 07:35

Jaysus. What century is this woman living in?

AlexaShutUp · 28/04/2022 07:36

Incredibly depressing to hear that in this day and age from a head teacher. Takes me back to my school days when they desperately tried to persuade me to do biology instead of physics, because, you know, most girls prefer biology.Hmm

FWIW, my dd loves maths but finds it dull when it is too easy. It's the really challenging stuff that she enjoys. She is predicted an A* in A level. Her female maths teachers are amazing. However, she did lose interest and go through a crisis of confidence a few years ago when she had one very poor male maths teacher.

coffeeaddict18 · 28/04/2022 07:38

What a load of rubbish! If that was true why are there A level maths and physics classes in girls schools then!

Fkingfnaaarr · 28/04/2022 07:39

This drives me nuts. What a pile of shit.

There is evidence from the USA that the behaviour of female grade school teachers when teaching maths impacts on female children's maths "ability" (the mediator is belief). Female grade teachers who make out that is hard, struggle with maths or talk about not being able to do maths perpetuate that behaviour in children but the effect disproportionately exists in girls.

But "it's natural" - fuck off with your gendered brain bullshit - it's learned behaviour and this type of uninformed hypothesising is part of the problem.

MargaretThursday · 28/04/2022 07:39

I love hard maths. Well some degree stuff was beyond me, but what I did understand I really enjoyed and still do.
However it does seem to be that fewer girls want to do maths.
Looking at my dc's years there are fewer girls right at the top though. The top maths sets are probably about 60% boys but the top of that are predominantly boys. So only 1-2 girls in the top 10.

It's not fir want of encouragement from the school. There are loads of events for girls in maths/science that they go to. And any invited events which are not for girls only they'll make sure it's 50/50 going.
I've got 3dc who are good at maths. The two girls have received loads of encouragement, extra trips, competitions, talks. Ds hasn't (not that he's bothered!)
So I don't know what the answer is.

Interestingly although there are other subjuests that are girl dominated, they don't have the same drive to encourage boys in them.

AuntieStella · 28/04/2022 07:39

That is such twaddle its hard to know where to start!

OTOH, this is just an another, more nuanced, emanation of the idea that its OK to be crap with numbers. Something that teachers should never utter.

startrek90 · 28/04/2022 07:40

I wish I could say I was surprised. I wasn't allowed to study science a level even though I got 100% in my GCSE. The reason I was told is that there was no point in 'wasting' a place on a girl as I was just going to get pregnant and drop out of medicine. ( I wanted to study medicine at university)

Isonthecase · 28/04/2022 07:41

I don't think very many people actually particularly like hard maths (and what is hard maths is different for everyone). Doesn't mean you can't be bloody good at it, or that it's not useful...

OutDamnedSpot · 28/04/2022 07:42

I’m just here to see what @noblegiraffe has to say about this… 😅

RachelshouldvegonetoParis · 28/04/2022 07:43

Interestingly although there are other subjuests that are girl dominated, they don't have the same drive to encourage boys in them.

Are you serious? There are lots of initiatives to get boys into reading.

Original poster
2New · 28/04/2022 07:43

startrek90 · 28/04/2022 07:40

I wish I could say I was surprised. I wasn't allowed to study science a level even though I got 100% in my GCSE. The reason I was told is that there was no point in 'wasting' a place on a girl as I was just going to get pregnant and drop out of medicine. ( I wanted to study medicine at university)

😡That is just so narrow minded. My MIL was discouraged from studying architecture by her parents for exactly this reason and has regretted this he whole life. She became a teacher, which was considered suitable for females.

OP posts:
Butfirstcoffees · 28/04/2022 07:44

Anecdotally, my experience with people I know, that this correct. All the men I know and grew up with seemed to find maths much easier than the women. Including me. I know work with numbers all day long. I have seen this is both kids groups of friends too. Boys all doing maths and science. Girls doing English, media, art based. This is at a level.

However, to suggest there’s no external factors is just ridiculous. It’s all social conditioning. There’s nothing inherent in girls which makes them not interested in maths.

we have been trying to direct girls into STEM for quite a while. But no tackled the actual problems that put them off in the first place.

it’s very odd that such an expert doesn’t have a clue

oliviastwisted · 28/04/2022 07:44

This is definitely a cultural thing. I have a maths based degree and I lecture in my subject area. Fewer women are doing the subject area than when I was doing it. That isn’t because women got poorer at maths in the intervening years it is because of the culture around girls these days.

RachelshouldvegonetoParis · 28/04/2022 07:46

I think one of the issues is that girls tend to get better marks across the board so are more likely to choose other subjects, especially if they then see that none of their friends are in Maths class.