Girl Math *eye roll*

[Heylylaa]

AIBU to be sick of expressions like "girl math"?

Google says the definition of Girl Math is "a term used to describe the financial rationalizations that some women use to justify spending money. It's a fun, unserious way of justifying purchases that might not be essential". However, that's not the context I hear it used in.

People I know basically say as a way to insult a womans intelligence if something isn't adding up. Basically you're a woman and you're thick.

For example on a Facebook page where someone declared they were 100 days since the start of something, a commenter queried how that could be as they were 83 days a couple of days ago. A different person comments "girl math".

I don't know if I'm being irrational to hate this phrase so much?

YANBU, op.

Just another silly misogynistic expression.

It wouldn't matter if the outdated sexist stereotypes about women and girls' mathematical ability didn't still persist.

I'm 36, use tiktok and as there's equal arguably funnier 'boy math', I really don't get the issue. In fact, 'girl math' is women laughing at themselves, 'boy math' is women laughing at men.

Boy math is standing eye to eye with a 5ft9 woman and insisting he's 6ft
Boy math is asking a woman what she brings to the table, when he lives with his mum and doesn't even own his own fucking table
Boy math is insisting “men are visual creatures” yet miraculously 'don't see mess' and the chores that need doing
Boy math is insisting on 50/50 - but only on finances, not housework, childcare, life admin, free time...

Need I go on? Of all the things for women to froth about, this is not it.

At least four posts saying it's an American term as though that's relevant to the OP?

It's the same land that gave us Karen then decide to use it against any woman complaining about anything to dimiss complaint however resonable but especially ones that don't look young.

From land that twice elected Trump - a man with an unsavory reputation round women.

Perhaps some are worried its not actually a fun term - but a misogynistic put down from a country with a real problem with women and women's rights then exported to rest of world via internet.

I suspect most UK girls/women using it are trying to use it ironically as of course girls are good at maths goes without saying - problem is I've literally has primary teacher say in front of me that girls aren't good at maths and maths is more a boy things - so I'm not sure evey section of society is as on board with of course women and girls are good at maths.

Plus there is reasearch that telling girls before maths test they aren't good at maths even if it just because they are female they do less well on maths tests.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3337753/

https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/wu-boys-girls-math-performance

It’s up there with the equally annoying “my bad” 🙄

Well… seeing as the term originated from TikTok, likely from someone under-25, there is really no reason to dismiss that explanation. I think here lies an issue - people taking a phrase and attaching their own context despite being told otherwise and as a result getting themselves offended. It’s like me taking the phrase ‘cost of living crisis’ and convincing myself that it’s derogatory and designed to shame those on the poverty line, when in fact it came from describing an economic event.

Yes I realise that; they're qualified to explain how it's used on tiktok, but (just as if 'having a blonde moment' had a resurgence on there) it's about more than just that isn't it? It's historic context around girls and maths, inequality, calling women girls.... bigger stuff.

Me too. Any Brits calling it ‘math’ or saying ‘do the math” need a good slap.

YANBU, not against this back drop https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/mar/10/boys-widen-gap-over-girls-in-maths-and-science-in-england-study-reveals?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

I am an award winning accountant with a medal of achievement in my chosen field, and a degree in Maths, and I hate that I sort of identify and get the girl math thing.

I have O level grade C in Maths <twirls> and several Brownie badges and think girl math is twee and you STEM lot who identify with it are cringe.