On this page, you’ll find links to recommended research and articles that consider how issues around gender affect participation in maths. Short descriptions of each report are included to help you decide which to look at in more depth.
Many studies have been carried out to look into the impact of gender on performance and participation in STEM subjects. The most recent and relevant ones to mathematics are below. If you’re interested in further reading, you can download our summary with relevant links and descriptions.
Gender and participation in mathematics and further mathematics A-levels: a literature review for the Further Mathematics Support Programme
Cathy Smith, 2014
A summary of evidence from over 60 documents that relate to raising girls’ participation in maths. It explains the five factors that are widely found to affect students’ intentions to study maths at A level that could be influenced by school practices.
Gender and Participation in Mathematics and Further Mathematics: Final Report for the Further Mathematics Support Programme
Cathy Smith & Jennie Golding, 2017
Following on from the Gender Literature Review, this report includes case studies of schools that have been successful in increasing girls participation at A level. The strategies they use are compared with the five factors that are known to affect students’ intentions to continue with maths and recommendations given.
Applying Behavioural Insights to increase female students’ uptake of STEM subjects at A Level
Department for Education, Behavioural Insights Team, 2020
This research tests the effectiveness of interventions based on behavioural insights theory, with the aim of increasing the number of high-achieving female students choosing STEM subjects at A Level. The principle mechanism was improving perceptions of the utility of STEM subjects. The secondary mechanism was designed to improve students’ self-concept and expectations of success in STEM.
Confidence and competence with mathematical procedures
Colin Foster, 2015
Confidence assessment (CA), in which students state alongside each of their answers a confidence level expressing how certain they are, has been employed successfully within higher education. This study explores CA with secondary pupils and the connection between confidence and competence.
How can we increase girls’ uptake of maths and physics A-level?
Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), 2018
In partnership with the STEM Skills Fund, the IFS conducted a study to understand the barriers that stop girls from taking maths and physics at A level.
Gender comparisons of pupils' self-confidence in mathematics learning
Hannula, M.S., Maijala, H., Pehkonen, E., & Nurmi, A., 2005
The paper analyses pupils’ mathematical beliefs about themselves, and beliefs about achievement in maths. Pupils’ beliefs about themselves as learners of maths are strongly connected with their general attitudes toward maths and their success in the subject.
The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on the Self-Concept of Female Students in STEM Subjects with an Under-Representation of Females
Bernhard Ertl, Silke Luttenberger and Manuela Paechter, 2017
Self-concept is formed through experience and interpretations of one’s environment as it regards feelings of self-confidence, competence, and ability. The external frame of reference is guided by a social comparison of one’s own achievements with those of peers. The internal frame of reference is guided by a comparison with abilities in other subjects. Students with the higher academic self-concept will advance in their achievements over the course of time while the others will lag.
Even among elite students, boys are more confident than girls in maths
Forbes article. Mark Travers, 2020
A summary of the results from a study by Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). More girls report being motivated to enter a maths competition due to teacher encouragement than boys do and that teachers are more influential in boosting their interest in maths. The study also suggests that the value of an encouraging teacher cannot be understated.