Chapter 6: Gender Issues and Mathematics Learning: What’s New “Down Under?”

In their meta-analysis of the mathematics performance of girls and boys based on the 2003 data from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Else-Quest, Hyde, and Linn (2010) concluded they had:

In this chapter, I present findings from a range of contemporary sources to illustrate that Australia is one country in which gender differences in mathematics achievement and participation in the more challenging mathematics courses at the Grade 12 level favor males. It has not always been the case for gender differences to be evident at the elementary level or in international testing programs. There was a period when Australia was one of only a few countries (for which data were available) with no significant gender differences in mathematics performance. In recent years, the gender gap has reopened, and there are signs that it is widening. It is difficult to find an explanation for this gender gap that is consistent with Else-Quest and colleagues’ (2010) conclusion cited above. Within some Australian subgroups with particular ethnic/cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, women’s roles may well be more traditional, and their opportunities limited by cultural and social expectations. However, the nation as a whole has solid credentials with respect to the legal and social status of women, with increasing female prominence in politics,¹ business, and the media, for example. A range of other factors not considered in the findings presented here may be contributing to the trends observed. The reasons behind the data presented in this chapter are yet to be clearly identified. More research is called for.