21/03/2019

Journal of Science highlights female participation in OBMEP.

Reproduction of material from the Journal of Science.

Report by Janes Rocha

They are in the running, on par with the boys. In the country's largest competition, the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), promoted by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) for elementary and high school students, the number of girls enrolled has remained stable at around 50%, or 450,000, over the last four years. Among those in high school, there was a slight increase of four percentage points, from 49.3% in 2014 to 53.5% in 2018. The data only considers those enrolled in the second phase of the competition – schools do not report the gender of students in the first phase.

But when it comes to the awards ceremony, the pattern changes. Between 2014 and 2018, students in Level 1 (6th and 7th grades) won 25% to 30% of the gold medals. In Level 2 (8th and 9th grades), participation also remained stable in the 20% to 30% range. In the Middle School level, the percentages drop sharply, varying between 8% and 13%. The same happens for silver and bronze medals and honorable mentions.

“This catches my attention; I think it’s a phenomenon that should be studied,” says Claudio Landim, general coordinator of OBMEP. Landim says he doesn’t have an explanation for the phenomenon, but believes it’s related to the general low participation of women in science and STEM disciplines. IMPA has been encouraging girls to enter competitions and trying to lower the barriers they face in the scientific field. One measure was the inclusion of the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in the calendar of knowledge olympiads, contested by teams trained by the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBM). Another was the creation of the Girls' Olympic Trophy at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and at OBMEP itself.

For 2019, the institute created the Girls in the Olympics Program which, with support from CNPq, aims to promote the effective participation of girls in activities related to Mathematics, including school olympiads, so that they can become interested in and develop careers in the scientific and technological fields.

In the Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad (OBA), the trend is repeated. Both in this competition and in the Rocketry Exhibition (MOBFOG), competitions promoted by the Brazilian Astronomical Society (SAB), the participation of boys and girls is balanced in levels 1 (students in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years) and 4 (high school), even with a slight advantage for girls. However, in MOBFOG, in which competitors have to build a rocket with a base and launch it as far as possible, the boys' advantage widens. João Canalle, professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and coordinator of the SAB competitions, believes that the explanation for the reduced presence of girls between levels 1 and 4, especially in the rocketry competition, has to do with young women's "lack of interest" in the subject. According to him, Brazilian statistics do not differ much from international ones.

Physics challenges

In the Brazilian Physics Olympiad (OBF), the presence of girls has decreased in recent years, and boys are the vast majority, both in terms of the number of participants and award winners. Sponsored and organized by the Brazilian Physics Society (SBF), the OBF is aimed at students from public and private schools in the 8th and 9th grades of elementary school and the three years of high school. Awards include gold, silver, and bronze medals, as well as honorable mentions.

According to data from the Brazilian Physics Society (SBF), 91,152 girls in the 8th and 9th grades of elementary school and all three years of high school registered for the first phase of the competition last year, 23% less than the 118,789 registrations in 2017. Of the total registered, 9,500 passed to the second phase, 23 more than the previous year. For the third and final phase, 1,240 girls remained in 2018, 50 fewer than in 2017.

Of the 604 awards distributed in the last two years, girls took home 167, concentrated in bronze medals and honorable mentions. Only two girls from the 9th grade of elementary school and one from the 2nd year of high school won the gold medal in the 2018 Brazilian Physics Olympiad (OBF). No medals were won by girls in 2017.

In an article published in Scientific American Brazil, professors Carolina Brito, from the Physics Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (IF/UFRGS), Debora Menezes, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, and Célia Anteneodo, from PUC/RJ, measured the evolution of the performance of girls interested in physics during elementary and high school, using the number of awards in the Brazilian Physics Olympiad (OBF) as an indicator. Although the period analyzed differs from the data provided by the Brazilian Physics Society (SBF) for this article (between 2006 and 2015), the trend indicated by the researchers has not changed in recent years. According to them, a decline in the percentage of women awarded prizes from the 8th grade of elementary school onwards is evident as they progress through high school. "Participants who take the OBF exams do not necessarily pursue scientific careers; however, this participation indicates an interest in facing and solving physics challenges," they explain.

Belita Koiller, a physics professor at UFRJ and member of the SBF (Brazilian Physics Society) council, defines the low participation of girls in science as a "sociological and anthropological" problem. "It's a social problem, but measures need to be taken to reverse this trend," says Koiller. In her view, girls need to be encouraged to attend science classes. One strategy the SBF has adopted in the Olympiad is to give an additional prize to the few who win the gold medal.

“I think girls need more exposure to science,” says the professor, highlighting the importance of programs in this regard, such as the “There’s a Girl in the Circuit” program, which brings science to girls in public schools. “Just like boys, not all girls are willing to learn science, but they need to be exposed to it more, and the right time is when they are starting their studies, not when they are already in preparatory courses.”

Foto: Febrace

Cultural construction

In the case of science fairs, the presence of women is growing. Data from the Brazilian Science and Engineering Fair (Febrace) shows that there was a large difference between the selected projects, with boys having an advantage, in the period from 2003 to 2007. In 2008, the participation of girls jumped to 50% of the selected projects, remaining at this level until the last survey in 2018. "Our interpretation is that boys and girls are beginning to get involved in research projects in the same proportion," comments the coordinator of Febrace, Roseli de Deus Lopes. However, when analyzed by area of knowledge, it is clear that girls have a strong presence in all categories, except Engineering and Exact and Earth Sciences. On the other hand, in humanities, biological sciences, and health sciences, the opposite is true; girls predominate.

According to her, Febrace has sought to clarify in its communication that all areas of knowledge are for everyone: boys, girls, all social conditions; all it takes is the desire, preparation, and hard work for it.

According to Lopes, there is a cultural construct from childhood that leads students to dedicate themselves and excel in certain areas of knowledge based on gender. “From a young age, boys are given toy cars and robotics kits; girls receive dolls because they have to learn to take care of them. These are things we need to deconstruct,” she states. When they reach elementary school, female teachers predominate in science education due to a stronger background in biology, leading to a tendency for girls to identify with the subject. “We need to equip teachers with examples of men and women who have excelled in various fields to inspire students.”

Lopes, a PhD in Electrical Engineering and associate professor at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, states that the Febrace numbers allow us to visualize where there is greater interest from girls – Biological, Health, and Human Sciences – and what we see is that, only in some years, they become the majority in some sub-areas of STEM fields. But in Engineering, more work is still needed to increase the participation of girls, who still represent less than 30% of the finalists. She assures that for the 2019 edition, which takes place in March, the trend has practically not changed: “in several areas the number of girls surpasses that of boys among the finalists, but in Engineering and some sub-areas of STEM fields, boys continue to be the majority. We need to intensify efforts for greater balance in all careers.”