"There are no real-life female role models in school maths textbooks"

In the academic year 1985/86, women accounted for more than half of all enrolments for Mathematics degrees at Spanish public universities. By 2019/20, however, this had dropped to 36%. This is just one of many examples illustrating that not enough is being done to achieve gender equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines.

One way to turn this around and achieve gender equality is to eliminate gender stereotypes from key educational resources: maths books. This is one of the premises of "The Representation of Gender Stereotypes in Spanish Mathematics Textbooks for Elementary Education", a research study carried out by Virginia Guichot-Reina and Ana María de la Torre-Sierra.

With this work, Ana María de la Torre-Sierra, a lecturer at the Department of Educational Sciences of the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the University of Extremadura, won the 2024 Cecilia Castaño Award. This award for research on gender inequality in science and technology is organized by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and coordinated by the Gender and ICT (GenTIC) research group at the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3).

 

Your research examines how gender stereotypes are portrayed in primary education. Why did you decide to focus on maths books?

Maths books are both a key educational resource and at the centre of the gender gap in STEM fields. Girls start to distance themselves from maths in primary school, partly due to persistent and deeply rooted gender stereotypes such as "girls aren't good at maths". 

These stereotypes not only shape girls' perception of their own abilities but also affect their academic and career choices. Examining how maths textbooks reinforce or challenge gender stereotypes helps highlight biases and design more inclusive educational resources.

 

Do the characters in these books reinforce traditional gender stereotypes?

The study shows that, while textbooks feature male and female characters in equal proportions, there is a shortage of real-life female role models in STEM fields. Furthermore, the social roles of the characters appearing in those books reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. 

Within family settings, for example, women are depicted solely as caregivers of children and other dependants, carrying out domestic tasks such as cooking and shopping for food, while men are only portrayed in caregiving roles when these are linked to paid employment, such as when working as doctors or in other healthcare jobs. 

In terms of leisure, men are often portrayed engaging and winning in competitive sports that involve a drive to succeed, while women are depicted as preferring activities such as watching shows, reading, travelling or shopping, with only a few portrayals of women excelling in sports.

How else does gender inequality feature in these books?

In cases involving problem-solving, women are portrayed using maths only for limited everyday tasks and are shown as insecure and unable to solve certain mathematical challenges. For instance, one of the main ways in which they use maths is to calculate their own weight, thus perpetuating harmful body image stereotypes. 

The study further reveals that young girls and women suffer from a lack of interest and motivation in mathematics, freezing and feeling insecure when solving problems. They often ask male characters for help finding the solution. Male characters, on the other hand, display a natural interest in maths from an early age. They enjoy, feel confident and derive satisfaction from learning it.

 

How does this portrayal affect girls' self-esteem?

All this perpetuates ideas such as "boys are better at maths and enjoy it more". Among 9- and 10-year-old girls, 28.3% report not enjoying learning maths, and girls have reported greater feelings of tension and anxiety around maths assessments than boys.

Furthermore, depicting female characters as insecure and unable to solve problems can damage girls' self-esteem and perpetuate stereotypes about their intellectual abilities. The fact that 36.7% of girls in year four of primary school don't feel confident when tackling maths problems highlights the importance of addressing this issue as soon as possible.

 

And to what extent does this affect their likelihood of pursuing STEM careers?

From an early age, girls and boys present themselves according to socially established patterns and try to adapt to them. The unequal portrayal of genders in school textbooks, coupled with a shortage of female role models in technology and IT, reinforce the notion that these aren't "women's fields". 

This isn't due to a natural lack of interest but to girls' upbringing and socialization, which can deter them from considering STEM careers, instead steering them towards fields that are more traditionally accepted for their gender. This leads to a substantial loss of female talent in science and male talent in other fields, resulting in gender gaps at work.

 

What sparked your interest in the portrayal of gender stereotypes in education?

My interest stems from my commitment to equal opportunities and my concern about how the messages we receive as young children can shape our aspirations, decisions and self-esteem. Education, particularly during childhood, plays a key role in shaping our perceptions of our own abilities and our role in society.

My aim is to provide evidence to help make education more equitable, so that everyone, regardless of gender, can think of themselves as capable and valuable, with a future full of possibilities.

 

During your career, have you seen any improvement in the fight against sexism and gender disparities in the classroom?

I've seen significant progress, but there's still a long way to go. More inclusive educational policies have been introduced in recent years, such as reviewing teaching materials to remove sexist portrayals and presenting students with more diverse roles and models. 

In addition, programmes to encourage girls to participate in traditionally male-dominated areas, such as STEM fields, have been created, helping to break down gender stereotypes from an early age. 

Furthermore, more content with a gender perspective is being added to teacher training, and some publishers are reviewing their textbooks to give a more equitable and empowering portrayal of men and women.

 

What key strategies for eliminating gender stereotypes in textbooks would you recommend?

I'd suggest creating a more inclusive school curriculum that highlights women's contributions to societal development and human knowledge; highlighting activities that are free from gender stereotypes, ensuring equal representation of men and women in various roles and activities; and using inclusive and non-sexist language.

As for teacher training, I'd recommend adding content on equality and coeducation to help teachers identify and address all forms of exclusion at school. Finally, I think that universities should encourage gender equality research with an interdisciplinary approach across all academic disciplines and with a particular focus on expanding the scope of school textbooks with a gender perspective.

 

What does receiving the UOC's 2024 Cecilia Castaño Award for this work mean to you?

It's a great honour, because it acknowledges the value of a piece of work on a very important issue. It highlights the importance of creating knowledge about women's participation in these areas and sheds light on the role of educational materials in either perpetuating or overcoming gender stereotypes.

It also underscores the need for further research and helps drive the necessary shift towards greater inclusivity and equity in education. From a personal point of view, it will motivate me to continue working towards this aim by providing tools to build a society in which access to science and technology is not restricted by gender.

 

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is coming up on 11 February. Why do you think such celebrations are important? 

These celebrations bring the structural inequalities faced by women and girls in science and technology into the public debate, as well as highlighting the achievements of both current and historical female scientists, thus providing role models. Having female role models is key when it comes to challenging the notion that STEM fields are male-only areas and inspiring more girls to explore their interests in these fields, increasing their confidence and broadening their aspirations.

 

In your opinion, is it still harder for a woman to pursue a research career in Spain than for a man?

Yes. Despite the strides made in recent decades, women still face more obstacles, and there are lingering structural inequalities and specific barriers to the pursuit of research careers that affect predominantly women.

A clear example of this is what is known as the "leaky pipeline", a term describing the gradual and significant decline in the proportion of women in science the further you go into scientific careers. One of the reasons for this is the enduring existence of a sexist work culture in which gender stereotypes and gender roles affect both the opportunities available to female researchers and their own self-perception. 

Furthermore, factors such as a lack of work-life balance, unconscious biases in hiring and promotion processes and the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles all contribute to the perpetuation of these inequalities. This is why promoting equal gender representation in all professional areas, starting with textbooks and primary education, is key.

 

UOC R&I

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health.

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.