Campaign article

Extract from my article, which I feel really highlights the need for this campaign:

Maths is about pattern, both in its concepts and its position in society. Stereotypically, it is a ‘boy subject’, but the days of further education being deemed ‘unsuitable’ for a woman are long – gone, so why is the debate about gender differences in mathematics still being worked out?

If you choose to study a mathematical science in further or higher education, be prepared to be the only girl in the class. I didn’t get an A in statistics, but the figures for subject choices make it pretty clear.

In June 2013, the number of boys who sat the A-level mathematics exam was 53,435 compared to 34,625 girls, a significant gap. This division, however, is not reflected in the exam results, where the grades tend to alternate year-on-year, with only marginal differences.

Last year’s A-level students were no exception. A huge 43.4% of male maths students achieved an A grade in 2013, closely followed by 42.6% of female students. The difference between B and C grades was a mere 1.5%, girls just slightly ahead.

Katy Henderson, council and society officer for the London Mathematical society supports the idea that sociological effects play a part in the division: “There is some evidence that people can be unconsciously biased against women and will rate them less. Anecdotally, sometimes when there’s a couple who are both academics the man’s career takes precedence to the detriment of the woman’s.