Gender and Mathematics: What Can Other Disciplines Tell Us? What is Our Role?

Abstract

In this article, we begin by taking stock of broad trends related to gender and mathematics, focusing primarily on patterns within the United States. We then add some important nuance, discussing some ways in which patterns vary by social class and race. Given that much recent work on gender and mathematics has been situated outside of traditional mathematics education frames, we consider how ongoing work in psychology and gender studies can contribute to our understanding, using interview data from a study of woman’s experiences in a mathematics Ph.D. program. Ultimately, we argue that mathematics education researchers bring unique expertise to the table and have a particular role to play in building upon work in other fields to further the work on gender and mathematics.