Numbers show girls as good at math as boys

Researchers say the long-running debate is settled: Girls are just as good as boys at math.

After checking the test scores of 7 million students in 10 states, university researchers found no difference between the sexes in performance on math tests given in grades 2 through 11.

The study seems to settle old theories about the existence of a math gene that gives boys an edge over girls in advanced coursework and ultimately in the workforce.

"Today, we do know that women can do math," said Marcia Linn, UC Berkeley education professor and co-author of the report, published in today's issue of the journal Science.

Decades ago, girls took fewer advanced math and science courses, and those who did posted lower scores. The old line of thinking seemed to say: Girls, who don't like math and aren't good at it, should shy away from those brainy courses.

That perspective was embraced by the popular doll Teen Talk Barbie, who briefly proclaimed in 1992: "Math class is tough."

Concerted efforts over the last 20 years to encourage girls to pursue math seem to have paid off, the researchers found. By 2000, high school girls were taking calculus at the same rate as their male peers, a trend that could be interpreted as showing they no longer felt shut out of the most demanding math courses.

"Equalization of math enrollment has led to equalization of performance," Linn said.

Previous studies have shown that girls are just as capable at math as boys, but the new research was the first to look at such a massive sample of students across the country, taking advantage of the standardized test scores now required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The study's five researchers, from UC Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, compared the average performance of all students on the tests, the scores of the most gifted children and the ability of students to solve complex math problems.

"In all cases, girls measured up to boys," the authors said.

The National Science Foundation funded the research, which sought to dispel the stereotype that girls lack mathematical ability and to offer insight into the underrepresentation of women in the highest levels of math, science and engineering.

High school sophomore Frances Fu of Oakland said she can't imagine a world where girls couldn't or wouldn't measure up in math - her favorite subject.

"Girls in my class participate more, and with the boys it's the opposite," she said. "Definitely, it's OK to be smart in math."

She earned at A+ in geometry last year as a freshman at Skyline High School.

Fu participates in a Girls Incorporated of Alameda County program called Eureka, in which mentors support and encourage girls to take math and science courses. It is one of many programs in the state and the nation trying to get more girls into male-dominated fields.

While the social stigma still exists - that it's not feminine to like math or science - girls are becoming more confident about their abilities and skills, said James McErlain, a science, math and technology specialist with Girls Incorporated.

"You can be whoever you want to be as a girl and still enjoy math and sciences and be OK with that," he said.

Despite the similar test scores in math, the gender gap continues to persist when it comes to the workplace, the researchers noted in the Science article.

Perhaps many girls are still influenced by the stigmas and math phobias that persist among previous generations.

"Parents and teachers really need to rethink how they are presenting math to their children and their students," Linn said. "It is equal. But the perceptions may still impede career decisions."