Alex Wiseman

SHIFTING GENDER EFFECTS: OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURES, INSTITUTIONALIZED MASS SCHOOLING, AND CROSS-NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS

Alex Wiseman , Associate Professor & Program Coordinator
Lehigh University, College of Education
Comparative and International Education Program

David Baker (Penn State University)
Catherine Riegle-Crumb (University of Texas)
Francisco O. Ramirez (Stanford University)

Prior research shows that stratification of future adult opportunities influences stratification in the academic performance of students. This structure of opportunities perspective is used to generate hypotheses regarding the sources of cross-national gender differences in mathematics performance.  These hypotheses are tested using multi-variate and multilevel analysis of adult opportunities for women and cross-national differences in mathematics performance by gender. This future opportunity perspective is expanded to take into account the historical incorporation of women in modern nation-states through institutionalized mass schooling emphasizing egalitarian ideals. We find a cross-national shift in the direction of less gender inequality in overall school mathematics performance. However, gender inequality is more evident in advanced 12th grade mathematics.  The results of a more specialized analysis of advanced 12th grade mathematics are compared with the earlier findings regarding mathematics performance.  A broader sociological perspective on gender and mathematics performance is advanced to discuss the main findings.

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