Expected and unexpected effects of sexism on women’s mathematics performance

Vanessa Smith-Castro,José Andrey Zamora-Araya,Tania Elena Moreira-Mora,Eiliana Montero-Rojas

doi:10.30849/rip/ijp.v53i1.905

Abstract

Research has shown that gender differences in Math performance are partially predicted by sociocultural aspects such as sexist ideologies and stereotypes. This study examined sexist ideologies as predictors of women´s achievement in standardized Math tests, and the mediation role of Math-gender stereotypes and Math self- efficacy, while controlling for abstract reasoning, among high-school girls (H.S.), and university women majoring Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), and in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Among H.S. girls, data showed the expected indirect effect of Math gender stereotypes on Math achievement via Math self-efficacy. Among university students, model adjustment was less optimal. An unexpected positive relationship between hostile sexism and Math performance in STEM fields emerged. Out data suggest several mechanisms by which ideologies and gender stereotypes affect women´s Math performance.

Highlights

Research has shown that gender differences in math performance are partially predicted by sociocultural aspects such as sexist ideologies and stereotypes
Women majoring in STEM showed significantly better performance in reasoning and math tests than women majoring in Social Sciences and Humanities, which in turn showed a better performance than High School girls
Our results provide noteworthy evidence of how sexist ideologies and gender stereotypes influence girls’ and women’s academic self-efficacy, and how these selfappraisals directly influence their performance in standardized math tests

Summary

Introduction

Research has shown that gender differences in math performance are partially predicted by sociocultural aspects such as sexist ideologies and stereotypes. Se examinaron las ideologías sexistas como predictores del desempeño en pruebas estandarizadas de matemáticas y el papel mediador de los estereotipos de género y la autoeficacia matemática en esta relación, controlando por las diferencias individuales en razonamiento abstracto. Literature from different theoretical frameworks within social and educational psychology suggests various mechanisms by which sexist ideologies might indirectly affect math performance and achievement among women (Dardenne, Dumont, & Bollier, 2007; Eccles, 1983; Glick and Fiske, 2011; Nosek, Smyth, Siram, Lindner, Devos, et al, 2009; Owens, 2007/2008; Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999)

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