Disparities in Gender and Learning

MarKeicha Dickens

November 6, 2012

Jour 102

Gender and Learning

599 Words

Disparities in Gender and Learning

OXFORD Miss.----Shomari Thompson was never too fond of English or Writing. However, the Biology major has managed to maintain a 4.0 while at Ole Miss. In a female dominated major Thompson knows what it takes to succeed in such a difficult field. He actually wasn’t even sure whether or not it was female dominated.  “I think we [Biology majors] are pretty even gender wise, there may even be more girls than boys though,” said Thompson. He is exactly right.

“There are currently 928 Biology majors, 407 males and 521 females,” says Senior Staff Assistant Cindy Rimoldi. Researchers have argued for years that whether or not the key factor in these differences is biology or social skills coupled with self esteem issues.

When asked why he believes there are more female Biology majors than males Thompson did not hesitate to answer. “Girls do not have a problem embracing the challenges that Biology students have to go through. Guys try to take the easy way out,” said Thompson.

Population

  Ole Miss is comprised of 55% females and 45% males. Many would assume that more females attend the University of Mississippi just by looking around. The graduation rates of students are even closer with 60% of women and 57% of undergraduates receiving degrees in 4 years.  However, the degrees that men and women get are strikingly different. Education, a “feminine” major, has a drastic amount of females graduates compared to males. 

In 2011 Ole Miss graduated 238 females receiving bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education compared to a measly 13 males getting a degree in the same field.  Engineering, a “masculine” major, here at the University of Mississippi, handed out the same exact amount of Chemical Engineering degrees to males and females in the year 2011 debunking the stereotype that guys are generally better than girls in math and science. However, males still make up more than half of engineering graduates receiving bachelor degrees.

It starts early

Males and females enter school generally on the same level according to a report done in 1992 about schools shortchanging girls. Somewhere around middle and high school girls become reserved and begin to second guess themselves due to fear of being wrong. Girls also have a higher tendency to be unhappy with themselves by the time they reach adolescence compared to males. Studies show that this type of behavior starts at an early age as teachers tend to call on males more often in class. In return they [males] receive a greater amount of positive feedback from their instructors and feel more confident.

A more updated report however suggests that girls tend to try and impress their teachers whereas boys try to challenge them. Males must remain stimulated in classrooms. They are in need of constant action to feel they are learning, but this “on the go” competitive instinct leads to behavior problems down the road.

Assistance

Due to females having a higher acceptance rate than males they make up the majority of scholarship recipients. The Luckyday Success Scholarship at Ole Miss is awarded to students based on financial needs, ACT scores, and a well written response to an essay question. Thompson, also a Luckyday Scholar, is by no surprise outnumbered in this aspect as well. “It’s about 60% of girls that receive it and 40% of guys mainly because the girls just take initiative to write the essay,” said Senora Miller Logan, Assistant Director of Luckyday Programs.

The real differences between gender and learning remain a debate-able hot topic with new findings surfacing every year. It’s one that will continue to be argued scientifically and socially.

Contacts
Senora Miller Logan
Assistant Director of Luckyday Programs
 senoralm@olemiss.edu
(662) 915-1592

Cindy Rimoldi
Biology Senior Staff Assistant
 crimoldi@olemiss.edu 
(662) 915-7204

Shomari Thompson
Student
(601) 452-0312

Cited Info:

Clark, Charles S. "Education and Gender." CQ Researcher 3 June 1994: 481-504. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

ProQuest Statistical Database LINK: http://0-si.conquestsystems.com.umiss.lib.olemiss.edu/statistical/Main.jsp

Newspaper Source

Jennifer Buckingham Schools, editor. "`Gender Divide' In Road Of Learning." Australian, The (n.d.): Newspaper Source. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

National Center for Education Statistics LINK: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d11/tables/dt11_290.asp