Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women.

Abstract

Trends in Educational Equity of Girls & Women, by Yupin Bae, Susan Choy, Claire Giddes, Jennifer Sable and Thomas Snyder. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2000. 99 pp. $10.00, paper. Reviewed by Cecilia Griffin Golden, YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh. Trends in Educational Equity of Girls & Women was produced in response to a request made by Congress to the office of the Secretary to the Department of the U.S. Department of Education to prepare a report on the status of educational equity for girls and women in the United States. The study includes presentations of data from varied sources including surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The book is a statistical report organized around data presented for a series of 44 indicators, which examine educational equity from students' pre-school experiences through post-secondary education. The data are presented for each indicator in many forms. Actual survey questions are included when appropriate. Bar and line graphs are provided and supported by narratives. The following are some of the findings presented: 1. Virtually, no difference in levels of courses taken by girls or boys in mathematics or science, except for physics, where boys are more represented. 2. Repeating grades for ages 5-12 was found more often among boys, as was placement in learning disabled classes. 3. The gaps in employment between males and females have narrowed over time. 4. Women tend to earn less than men with similar educational attainment, but this may partly reflect women's patterns of labor market participation and taking certain kinds of jobs. 5. Course taking patterns show evidence of growth patterns of females and males taking advanced levels of mathematics and science, including calculus and trigonometry. 6. The percentage of students who study calculus, both male and female, has grown to approximately 12% of school populations. 7. Females appeared to have less confidence than males that they could do well in mathematics and science. 8. Black and Hispanic women earned higher percentages of the Bachelor's degrees in 1997 (64% and 57%, respectively) than White, non-Hispanic women (55%). The aforementioned findings represent only a portion of those included in the study. The study provides useful information and includes data across a broad band of areas. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, to apply those findings to public schools and colleges across the United States, due to the researchers' treatment of the variable of race: "The report focuses generally on overall comparisons between males and females, not on the experiences of various subgroups, which may show different patterns." Ergo, race is introduced as a factor only intermittently. Decisions around the presentation of the data included in this statistical report do not reflect a commitment to critically analyze the notion of equity in the United States educational attainments. Moreover, while the authors include data for girls and boys of color for a few indicators, they are not included for the majority of the indicators. It would have strengthened the study to include additional data disaggregated by race. The disaggregation of data would be an acknowledgement of the complexity of gender equity issues in the United States related to educational attainment. Neglecting to include the variable of race limits both the questions and the findings. …