Feminist Pedagogy and Mathematics

Abstract

Women often are blamed for their “inability” to perform as well as men in mathematical and scientific fields. This article starts with the assumption that the problem is not with women’s ability to do mathematics. The problem lies with their unwillingness to study mathematics as it is currently taught and currently constituted. A conceptual framework based on Women’s ways of knowing: The development of self, voice and mind by Belenky et al. and some methods for promoting women’s learning of mathematics and encouraging them to believe that mathematics is something they want to study are presented. Mathematicians and mathematics educators have much to learn from women studies programs and the feminist pedagogy developed in those programs. Aspects of feminist pedagogy can be used to make women more willing to study mathematics, and therefore learn mathematics. In addition, a different view of mathematics, how one does it and what it means to know mathematics, is posited.