When I was in 7th grade a girl placed first in a statewide math competition. When the principle presented her with the award in front of the student body, she said, "I'm so proud to present this award to a girl." She went on to talk about what an achievement it is for a girl to do well in math. The clear message to all of us was that girls are not expected to do well as boys in math, and when they do, it is surprising and something to be celebrated. This is my personal encounter with gender gap at St. Angela Mercy High School in Washington. Simply some may argue that gender gap no longer exists in our schools and there is no need to worry about it any more, or others may say that it doesn't impact my life so why should I have a concern about it.
United States
English: McGivney Hall on the Catholic University ...
Gibbons Hall, built in 1911, today a residence hal...But I should say that gap exists between sexes in our schools in different aspects and it requires a deeper focus in order to be evident. And you should have a concern about it because it impacts your life too. It can be seen in school enrollments and the ratio of boys and girls enrolled in math and science classes. It also exposes itself as in awards and wages that males and females receive. Overall it is crucial for us to diminish gender gap in our schools even if it's not directly related to us.
Efforts to increase girl's enrollment should be part of a broader strategy to expand access to education for both boys and girls, but a special focus on girls is needed to address the cultural barriers girls face. According to the Christian Science Monitor article by Linda Feldmann, in 112 countries for which data were...