Gender Differences...is it limited to just mathematics?

After reading Boalers Chapter 9 on learning styles and gender differences it got me thinking back to my school years and my experiences in mathematics.

I have to admit I never felt at a disadvantage in mathematics because I was female. I never thought I couldn't become a mathematican because of my gender. I don't know if it was becuase I was so determined or perhaps it was the support of my parents, or maybe my math teachers were really good at finding the balance in helping all their students to do the best they could.

The only thing related to gender I can recall is that some of the boys did not have to work nearly as hard as the girls to get high marks but yet the girls always did better. I remember some of the girls getting mad cause the boys would do thier assignments at the last minute and still do fairly well and they would have been working at it for hours. That is all I can really recall when it comes to gender difference within my experiences.

I also recall that most of my math teachers were male... but again I never once thought that I couldn't be a mathematican or engineer or whatever because I was female. I think the gender difference was more linked towards the trades (welder, electrican, carpenter,etc) and I think there is still a major gender gap in this area. With working in the College we offer all these trades programs and do whatever we can to encourse females to join. Also, I know the government is also doing their part to try and encourage females in these areas of careers with advertisements in which the ollege will show females in the shop classes so that young woman can see they can do this even though they are female.

With all that being said, I do agree that there are some differences with learning between females and males, thats just the way we are made up.. we are different. With that being said I think this will always be the case and that teachers need to try their very best to accomidate to both learning styles, to try and find what I always say "the happy medium"