The gender gap in STEM fields exists at all levels, from childhood through career selection, and there are many different, but often related, causes for female underrepresentation. One major cause of the gender gap is a significant disparity between men and women in their spatial reasoning skills. Research shows that while men’s performance on spatial reasoning assessments is stronger than women’s, these skills are easily developed through training. Another key factor in the gender gap is students’ math identity, represented by their beliefs, attitudes and emotions about math and STEM.

This project addressed these two major causes of the gender gap in STEM by planning and running a series of free workshops for middle school girls in Durham, designed to improve their math identity. These workshops, which were led by female-identifying undergraduate students on the team, accommodated students of all skill levels, encouraging them to solve rich, accessible problems using multiple approaches. The curriculum also included age-appropriate discussions about gender stereotypes and their impact.

Team members also analyzed survey data collected during previous years of the project to assess current beliefs among girls and women as they pertain to stereotypes, self-assessment and other issues related to gender and STEM.

Assessing and Improving Girls’ and Women’s Math Identity

Poster by Trinity Johnson and McKenna Vernon