Crossing the Great Divide: Changing the Culture of Women Through Gender Equity in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Abstract

“Crossing the great divide” (of mathematics) involves a journey not unlike many arduous journeys. In order to reach your destination, the traveler must prepare for difficult road conditions and allow for alternate routes. In this presentation, consider gender equity as the destination and imagine there are a number of routes that we could take while making our journey. Recognizing that there may be different definitions for gender equity and the route you take depends on your definition. In their definition of gender equity, Grossman and Grossman (1994) state that “gender equity can be viewed in terms of treatment of students, gender differences in roles for which schools prepare students and gender disparities in educational outcomes” (p. 119). Koch and Irby (2002) describe gender equity as “to be fair and just toward both men and women, to show preference to neither, and concern for both” (p. 4). Walker and Foote (2001) define gender equity within a culture to mean “all individuals having freedom from limits imposed by self or society that would prohibit both males and females from pursuing the fields of knowledge and skills suited for them” (p. 101). Others describe gender equity in terms of the educational environment, one in which individuals have not only opportunities, but real efforts are made to equalize, reform, and improve (Nash & Dougherty, 1991). Using these definitions, gender equity can be viewed as a subset of a larger set identified as educational equity.