Ernesto Treviño, education expert: “We must ensure that girls have leading roles and explore their interests without restrictions”.

In Chile, as in the rest of the world, women have a considerably lower participation than men in areas related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, also known as STEM. Although this is a reality rooted in society, there are increasing efforts to encourage more women to dedicate themselves to these areas and to break the gender gaps that prevent them from doing so.

Some of the challenges generated by the underrepresentation of women in STEM careers have to do with the replication of socioeconomic inequalities, since these are precisely the careers with the best employability and income rates. But these gaps also have many other effects on society. For example, there are studies that suggest that the low representation of women in these fields generates biases in the production of science and technology, affecting crucial aspects such as the production of drugs or medical advances.

According to education expert and director of CENTRE UC, Ernesto Treviño, this underrepresentation has its origins in the early years of life, and is replicated at each stage of educational and working life.

You have referred to gender inequality in STEM disciplines. Precisely in 2019 you were part of a study on how gender impacts teacher interactions in mathematics classrooms in Chile. Can you tell me a bit about your results?
Through the study “The inclusion of girls in Chilean mathematics classrooms: gender bias in teacher-student interaction networks“, we found that, in general, teachers in mathematics classrooms, whether they are male or female, interact more with male students than with female students. We observed that for girls to receive the same level of attention as boys, they had to be at the top, that is, in the top 10% of grades in their class.

What elements may be influencing this phenomenon?

In analyzing what happens in the classroom, we identified two or three main factors. First, we noticed that in fifth grade, children tend to have more confidence to participate, whether or not they know the answer to a question. This reflects a question of self-esteem and willingness to take risks. On the other hand, boys tend to be more restless and seek more attention from the teacher, while girls tend to be more reserved and participate at specific times. This behavior may be the result of a socialization process from an early age.

From what age can these differences be observed and how does it relate to the roles that we as a society assign to each gender?

These differences can be observed from the earliest years at home, where girls tend to be oriented toward caregiving roles, while boys are more inclined toward physical or logical thinking activities. This reflects a machista culture that implicitly or explicitly influences the assignment of roles. It is a challenge to reverse these trends, as we are often not even aware of them, being an integral part of our culture.

How can we effectively address these differences?

The first thing is to put this reality on the table, study it and talk about it. We must promote equity from an early age, challenging gender roles and fostering more inclusive attitudes at home and at school. This involves changing parenting patterns and offering equal opportunities for all children and young people at different stages, decoupling gender expectations from individual capabilities. It is about decoupling the prejudices one has about who can do well in one thing or another. To look in the mirror and understand that sometimes we think we are equitable, but in practice we evaluate girls mainly on aspects such as order or behavior, while we demand more cognitive challenges from boys.

In that sense, there is a bias that boys tend to be better in areas such as logical and mathematical thinking, just as girls are believed to be better in caring roles because of their empathy and sensitivity. Do these biases have an effect on girls’ outcomes or abilities?

Yes, these biases affect girls’ results. Something paradoxical happens, although girls usually have better grades than boys in all subjects during school, including math or science, when it comes to the test, nowadays PAES, they tend to perform worse in the evaluations. This can be attributed to lower self-esteem in contexts where they feel evaluated in areas they feel they are not good at. This of course impacts their career choice and contributes to the lack of equal representation in various disciplines.

What elements do you think are essential to build girls’ and young women’s confidence in relation to STEM areas and how can this challenge be addressed from schools?

I believe it is critical to change the way we teach and learn by adopting more practical and applied methodologies, such as project-based learning. This allows students to understand the relevance of concepts in real life and promotes collaboration, critical thinking and role rotation. In addition, we must ensure that girls have leading roles in activities, promoting an inclusive and exploratory environment that allows them to develop their interests and skills without gender restrictions.