Mathematics and Gender Studies: an Overview Andrea Blunck Department Mathematik Universität Hamburg

Mathematics and Gender Studies: an Overview

Andrea BlunckDepartment MathematikUniversität Hamburg

Andrea Blunck Mathematics and Gender Studies 2

Outline of the talk

Gender Studies on Mathematics: Introduction Classification of Research Topics

Some Results Some Projects Some Ideas and Questions


Gender Studies on Mathematics

Introduction: Why is it so hard to do Gender Studies

on Mathematics?



joint with Irene Pieper-Seier (Oldenburg): entry

Mathematics in the German Handbook Women‘s and

Gender Studies

A.B./I.P.-S.: Mathematik – Genderforschung auf schwierigem Terrain, in: Beate Kortendiek/Ruth Becker (eds.): Handbuch Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, 2008


Gender Studies on Mathematics“Mathematics is one of those scientific

disciplines that are hard to access by women’s and gender studies. The category “gender” seems to play no role in mathematics. The objects of mathematical research are abstract objects, studied only by logical deductions. Thus gender is neither an explicit nor an implicit topic of mathematical research. And the research methods look so objective that there seems to be no influence of the researchers.”



contents of mathematics hard to access by gender studies

so far: research mainly on women in mathematics

Gender Studies on Mathematics not yet established as a research area



Classification of research topics

history of mathematics didactics of mathematics mathematics as field of study or work science studies on mathematics






History of Mathematics

biographies of

individual women mathematicians groups of women mathematicians



biographies of individual women mathematicians, in order to appreciate these women make them and their contributions to

mathematics visible


Maria Gaetana Agnesi

1718 – 1799, Milan 1748 Instituzioni

Analitiche ad Uso della Gioventù Italiana: first book on analysis in Italian

1750 appointed “professor of mathematics” at the university of Bologna; but she never worked there

1752 she left mathematics


Maria Gaetana Agnesi

Agnesi was typical for women scientists of her time: no formal education not part of the scientific

community exceptional

U. Klens: Mathematikerinnen im 18. Jahrhundert, 1994

M. Mazzotti: The world of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, 2007


Ruth Moufang

1905 – 19771930 PhD, Frankfurt1936 habilitation – but the

Nazi regime did not allow her to teach: because she was a woman!

1957 first female professor of mathematics in Germany

Literature: Irene Pieper-Seier



biographies of groups of women mathematicians, combined with a description of the history of

women’s education a reflection on the marginalization of

women in mathematics


History of MathematicsThe first female PhDs in mathematics in

Germany:Until 1908, eight women obtained their PhD in

mathematics in Germany, among them seven women from abroad, e.g.:

Sofia Kovalevskaya (Russia; Göttingen 1874) Grace Chisholm Young (UK; Göttingen 1895) Mary Frances Winston (USA; Göttingen 1897)

They paved the way for German women. It was only in 1909 that women were allowed to study throughout Germany.

Literature: Renate Tobies


History of MathematicsPresentation of role models – Motivation for

female students:

„well, Emmy Noether, in algebra ..... when I heard about her, I went home and read a little bit about her, because I liked it that at least once there was a women and not always only men.“

Interview with a female math student from Hamburg. From a study by Dr. Anina Mischau (Bielefeld).






Didactics of Mathematics

differences in achievement / in interests gender-sensitive teaching methods coeducation? “doing gender” in the classroom:

in math classes girls actively contribute to the construction of “femininity” by acting as if they were low achievers (Sylvia Jahnke-Klein 2001)






Mathematics as field of study or work

collecting statistical data sociological studies

on students of mathematics on people working in mathematics



two studies carried out at the University of Oldenburg:

Beate Curdes, Sylvia Jahnke-Klein, Wiebke Lohfeld, Irene Pieper-Seier 2003: Students of mathematics, their experiences and their plans for the future

Karin Flaake, Kristina Hackmann, Irene Pieper-Seier, Stephanie Radtke 2006: Female professors of mathematics



Some results of these studies: female students of mathematics

like mathematics because it is “clear” and “reliable”

consider doing mathematical research / writing a PhD thesis as “risky” (this is not the case for male students)



Some results of these studies: most female professors of mathematics

in Germany have been encouraged from the

beginning of their careers were part of a research group already

as a student






Science Studies on Mathematics

so far: not much research

some starting points: the image of mathematics female mathematics ?


The image of mathematics mathematics is seen as a “male”

discipline (e.g. in German speaking countries, in the UK)

(how) does mathematics, and the teaching of mathematics, participate in constituting this male image and thus in the construction of gender?

“vicious circle” (Paul Ernest, 1995): low percentage of women in mathematics – gender-stereotypical image of mathematics


Female mathematics?

Origins of mathematical concepts

Ellen Harlizius-Klück 2004:

books on arithmetic in Euclid’s elements: seemingly no application

possible origin: weaving – work done by women


Female mathematics?

Ethnomathematics

mathematics of non-western cultures implicit mathematical practices, e.g., in

handicraft, art, architecture often carried out and handed down by

women


Female mathematics?

Ethnomathematics

Paulus Gerdes: Women, Art and Geometry in Southern Africa, 1998


Female mathematics?

Ethnomathematics

Paulus Gerdes: Women, Art and Geometry in Southern Africa, 1998

review of this book, by Jens Høyrup:


Female mathematics?

“In the present book, the author continues his investigations of the mathematical – in particular geometrical – thought of African cultures and of its possible utility in mathematics teaching in an African context. It concentrates on women's geometrical creations, in part because women students may need extra encouragement in Africa as elsewhere in order to counterbalance the model mathematician normally presented in cosmopolitan mathematics education, but mainly because women are the sophisticated geometers in the cultures that are dealt with in the book:


Female mathematics?

they decorate the houses, they weave bags and baskets from coloured straw, they make tattooings – and some of them are experts who guide others. (…) Here as elsewhere, sophisticated mathematics is a specialist's business, as reported in various places in the book. The notion of “sophisticated mathematics” is justified, even though the specialists in question do not look at themselves as “mathematicians”, a role for which traditional society has no space; but many of the patterns shown in the book exhibit symmetries that bear witness of intense reflection on formal properties of patterns.”


Some projects

my current research project

ideas for future research


Current research projectGenderMathematik: Gender competence as

an innovative element of teacher education in mathematics

joint project: Anina Mischau (sociology, Bielefeld) Sabine Mehlmann (pedagogics, Gießen) A.B. (mathematics, Hamburg)

team members: Torsten Woellmann, Georgine Kalil

supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research




main steps: design and development of a seminar

“Gender Competence in Mathematics” for teacher education at universities

testing and evaluation of the seminar at eight German universities




contents of the seminar: knowledge on gender: e.g., mathematics

as a gendered discipline didactical competence: methods for

gender-sensitive teaching of mathematics

(self) reflection


Ideas for future research

Mathematics as a field of social practice:

mathematicians at work mathematics as scientific community with

special culture metaphors which practices are part of mathematics

and which are not?



Metaphors:

mathematical structures or objects live in certain spaces inherit properties get married



Mathematics as social practice

possible method: laboratory studies: ethnographic

studies on scientists at work



Mathematics as social practice

Bettina Heintz: Die Innenwelt der Mathematik, 2000:

ethnographic study at the Max-Planck-Institut for Mathematics in Bonn

sociology of mathematics gender almost not considered



Questions that may be gender-related:from a review of Heintz’ book, by Moritz Epple: Which research topics are considered to

be important? Which methods are considered to be promising? Which groups share these views?

How does the mathematical community award reputation?

How do different areas of mathematics compete for resources and how are such competitions settled?

Thank youfor your attention !!

Documents

Mathematics and Gender Studies: an Overview Andrea Blunck Department Mathematik Universität Hamburg