24/04/2019

What is the role of the Women's Mathematics Olympiad?

Reproduction Nexo Jornal

Reporting by Juliana Domingos de Lima

The Brazilian delegation that participated in the 8th European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), held between April 7 and 13, 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine, returned to the country with an unprecedented achievement: a gold medal , won by Mariana Groff, a 17-year-old student from Rio Grande do Sul.

Brazil also won two bronze medals, brought home by Maria Clara Werneck, from Rio de Janeiro, and Ana Beatriz Studart, from Fortaleza, both 17 years old. In the overall ranking, Brazil finished 20th out of 49 countries. The delegation consists of four competitors and two leaders.

The EGMO has been held in various European countries since 2012. Brazil has participated in the competition since 2017, through an initiative of IMPA, the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics.

The institute promotes a special award, the IMPA Olympic Girls Award, and will hold, for the first time in the second half of 2019, a Brazilian women's mathematics olympiad called the Girls in Mathematics Tournament.

Challenges in national competitions

In an article published on April 17, 2019 by Folha de S.Paulo, Marcelo Viana, director-general of IMPA, argues in favor of the importance of women's mathematics competitions and presents data on the participation of girls in national mixed competitions.

According to him, the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools has a balanced presence of girls and boys, even in the second phase.

Among the award winners, however, female representation is in the minority, and decreases as their age increases. In 2018, they made up 30% of the medalists in the elementary school competition and only 20% of the medalists in high school.

But this changes in more competitive events, such as the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad or the International Mathematical Olympiad. In the latter, according to Viana, girls made up only 10% of the competitors in the 2017 edition, held in Rio de Janeiro.

The factors that hinder their performance.

LACK OF INCENTIVE
In general, girls receive less encouragement from teachers and family members to become interested in and dedicate themselves to mathematics and other STEM subjects.

According to an article published by the American Educational Research Association in October 2016, teachers tend to perceive male students' math skills as superior to those of female students, even when both achieve the same level of results.

GENDER STEREOTYPES
The idea that mathematics is "a boy's thing" also prevents girls from developing their skills in the subject. According to studies, girls are more likely to report negative emotions towards mathematics and to perceive it as a masculine subject.

Scarcity of examples
The lack of awareness of exemplary cases of women and girls who succeed in mathematics reinforces the idea that the subject is not for girls and that they have less chance of achieving good results, which is empirically false.

A meta-analysis published in 2010 analyzed data from 242 studies conducted between 1990 and 2007 and concluded that men and women perform similarly in mathematics.

Being the only girl in the class who likes math or the only one on a delegation might discourage her from pursuing that interest.

LACK OF TRUST
An international study on gender equality in schools, conducted by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and published in 2015, revealed that girls lack confidence in their ability to solve mathematical problems.

How do women's competitions contribute?

According to the director of IMPA, the women's olympiads help combat gender biases that prevent girls from participating or achieving good results in competitions, providing additional incentives and creating inspiring role models.

The full story can be read here.