Promoting mathematics as a career option for girls

For many years the subject of Mathematics has been regarded as difficult: one that can be mastered only by a few individuals.

The notion has made many female students shun Mathematics-related careers - not because they cannot perform well, but because that is how society has for a long time been made to believe.

This is exactly what happened to Sofia Chacha, 28, who initially wanted to become an engineer more than a decade ago, but changed her mind.

She says when she was in primary school, Mathematics was one of her favourite subjects - and she even performed very well in the subject in her Primary School Leaving Examination.

She believed Mathematics was the option that would propel her into the professional world as she envisaged becoming an engineer or a mathematician in future.

The challenge began when she was in Form Four. Sofia tells Success that, in a class of 44 girls, she was the only one who had a passion for mathematics, something that to her, was a disappointment.

“In Form One many of us (girls) were in love with mathematics and encouraged each other but as we progressed to Form Four, some began to give up mainly because all maths teachers were men, who at times used discouraging words,” she says.

According to Sofia, most of the teachers who taught science subjects were men and many ridiculed them, which discouraged the students.

“Even at home my brothers and my father often told me I could not make it in mathematics… So when choosing a combination of subjects for advanced level studies, I decided to give up mathematics even though I loved it, a decision I regret most today,” shares Sofia.

This confirms the debate that many Tanzanian girls have been reluctant in opting for mathematics subject due to the lack of female role models. Even if the latter were present, they did not show up to help young girls find a reason to opt for a career in mathematics.

Few women in STEM

Various published statistics show that women are grossly under-represented in mathematics and in STEM related subjects in general.

Although the Data from Unesco Institute of Statistics (UIS-2015) shows that globally 53 percent of the graduates in Bachelor degrees are women, still they are a minority in STEM-related degree programmes and also at PhD level.

At the research level, for instance, only 28 percent are actively involved in research. In sub-Saharan Africa (s-SA), women in research and development are 30 percent while globally the number stands at 28 percent.

UIS Data 2015 shows that no country in s-SA has achieved gender parity. At tertiary level, enrolment for bachelor degrees has not achieved gender parity in any country except for South Africa and Namibia, according to data.

However, in terms of enrolment gender parity at the primary level has been achieved in Tanzania according to Unesco 2015.

Even so, gender gap in performance remains a challenge, especially in mathematics and science in the country according to experts.

Specialists say that one of the aims of teaching and learning mathematics is to encourage and enable learners to become confident in using mathematics knowledge to analyze and solve practical problems in real-life situations.

However, while a few students prosper in learning Mathematics, many students find it difficult and ultimately fail in the subject.

This comes when mathematics is considered as the gate and key of science and technology that is fundamental in social and economic development of countries.

Academics say mathematical abilities are crucial for understanding other disciplines such as science, technology and engineering that are vital for preparation of new innovations in the science and technology fields.

Science and technology have become central to the world culture, and for any nation to become competitive it must not undermine the significance of mathematics among all students.

Changing the notion

Due to female students’ lack of interest in mathematics, a group of women mathematicians have decided to reverse the trend by promoting the subject at all education levels.

Chairperson of AMU- Commission for African Women in Mathematics who is also the head of the Department of Mathematics, at the University of Dar es Salaam, Prof Eunice Mureithi, aims to raise a generation of female mathematicians in Tanzania.

After finding herself in the top position as chairperson of the Commission for African Women in Mathematics, Prof Mureithi wondered why Tanzanian girls and women were staying behind when it came to careers in the subject.

She looked for females who have opted for mathematics and who are in various positions to establish an association aimed at promoting mathematics by encouraging more girls to opt for Math-careers.

“Tanzania Women in Mathematics (TWM) is a forum where we talk about issues that affect women and girls in mathematics. It is a gateway to reaching the girls and to help us organise ourselves to support these girls…,”Prof Mureithi says.

Through various initiatives, the group aims to have women who will volunteer to go to the schools to talk to young girls about why they should not be discouraged in opting for a mathematics career.

“We want to be visible through this forum and enable Tanzanian girls to be confident by seeing and interacting with successful women in mathematics,” she states.

Through the association, Prof Mureithi says they will be able to get to every corner of the country to visit young girls and make them part and parcel of the move…

“There are girls who have managed even after being discouraged, others are in rural areas. We need to also reach out to them and get them on board so that they can excel in mathematics as well,” the professor says.

The group also intends to reach out to parents to let them know that girls can also excel in the sciences.

“We are going to form zonal offices that will be monitoring the progress as well as meet parents to ensure that girls get a conducive learning environment for mathematics…,” says Prof Mureithi.

Dr Marcelline Mjenda from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Dodoma, says gender-based stereotypes are leading to the under-representation of more women in mathematics.

“Studies have shown that parents and teachers underestimate girls’ ability in mathematics and science. Mathematics and physics are seen as masculine domains with teachers tending to be biased in their expectations of girls,” she explains.

Dr Mjenda says despite growing up in a masculine society, she maintained her passion for the subject and thus achieved her dream of becoming a mathematician.

“Socio-cultural beliefs from an early age about the girl child are held by both teachers and parents. I had to stand firm to be where I am now and I want to reach out to more girls through this association too,” she observes.

The association, which is made up of female lecturers, engineers and students aims to increase the number of female teachers in mathematics and STEM.

“We want to widen our visibility as role models by cultivating interest in mathematics and science to girls from the primary school level or even earlier and also increase the number of female teachers in schools,” says Dr Mjenda.

General performance in Mathematics

In Tanzania, mathematics is given paramount importance in the curriculum and policies related to education, right from pre-primary to tertiary levels. Mathematics is one of the core subjects in both primary and secondary school curricula in Tanzania.

Despite the importance given to the subject, a large number of students still struggle to understand it.

This struggle is reflected in students’ poor performance in the subject during national examinations.

Such high failure rates have severe consequences to the youth and the nation at large, according to experts.

“Mathematics is not only important for acquiring academic qualifications but it also prepares students for the future,” says Dr Said Sima from Mathematics Association of Tanzania (MAT).

He says students who fail in mathematics face learning difficulties in mathematics and related courses in higher levels particularly science, engineering and other business-related courses.

“If we don’t encourage students, especially girls to create a niche in mathematics, the nation will lack skilled people in the areas of technology, health, engineering, agriculture and related fields,” he tells Success. Consequently, the country will lag behind in the technological endeavours due to lack of skilled individuals, he adds.

About TWM

The Association of Tanzanian Women in Mathematics (TWM) was established in March, 2018, the main objective being to promote the participation of Tanzanian females in Mathematics and mathematics related fields. Officially registered in April 2020, the association provides a Forum for women mathematicians to share their experiences and to be role models; provides mentorship for Tanzanian female students; widens visibility and recognition of women in mathematics within and outside the country.

The association intends to also design effective mentoring systems for girls and women in mathematics as well as organisation of science camps for high school girls’ career guidance.