Why Girls Perform Poor In Mathematics – Unicef
Gender prejudices and ideas held by teachers, parents, and classmates continue to negatively impact girls’ mathematical performance.
The most recent United Nations research demonstrates that girls lag behind males in mathematics, with discrimination and gender stereotypes as the main causes.
According to the survey, such preconceptions damage girls’ confidence and set them up for failure.
The title of the new paper is “Solving the Equation: Helping Girls and Boys Learn Math.”
It is based on research conducted by Unicef on biological variables, including brain development.
It demonstrates that there are no inherent gender disparities in mathematical aptitude.
Girls are equally capable of learning mathematics as boys. What kids lack is an equal opportunity to gain these essential skills, says Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef.
“We must debunk the gender prejudices and norms that hold girls back and do more to help every kid acquire the core skills necessary for academic and life success.”
The paper also identifies household wealth as a determining factor, stating that children from the wealthiest homes are twice as likely to acquire numeracy skills by the fourth grade as children from the poorest households.
Similarly, children who participate in early childhood education and care programs have up to 2.8 times the odds of attaining minimum competency in mathematics by age 15 compared to children who do not.
According to the survey, parental participation in school meetings, homework assistance, and books in the home remained significant predictors of fourth-grade students’ foundational numeracy skills.
It nevertheless demonstrates that girls outperform boys in reading.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) cautions that children who do not grasp basic mathematics and other foundational skills may fail to complete essential tasks such as problem-solving and logical reasoning.
The report’s data analysis from 34 low- and middle-income nations reveals that while girls fall behind boys, three-quarters of fourth-grade students lack foundational numeracy skills.
The research also states that the COVID-19 pandemic has likely exacerbated children’s mathematical skills and urges governments to commit to providing quality education to all children.
The current state of children’s education is likely much worse, especially for girls, according to Robert Jenkins, director of Education and Adolescent Development at Unicef.
He attributes this to the duration and severity of the learning interruption produced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This, according to Unicef, should include investments to reenroll and retain all children in school and enhance access to remedial and catch-up education.
Also, supply instructors with the necessary resources and ensure that schools offer a secure and supportive environment, so all students are prepared to study.
