A comparison of mathematics courses and achievement of male and female students and how they affect the students' rewards in the labor market

Mathematics is the key to opportunity. Lucy Sells (1978), an American sociologist, expressed the situation well when she said that "mathematics is a critical filter" (p. 28). Without adequate preparation in mathematics, people are effectively filtered out of most postsecondary education options and an increasing number of career opportunities. Career advancement is severely hindered by a lack of mathematical training. More females than males fail to achieve their full potential in mathematics. This is one of the most serious inequities that currently exists in education. Without mathematical knowledge and skills in the technological society of today, women will never be able to achieve equity in the labor market (Fennema, 1991). Because of these concerns, a study was proposed that would investigate the effect that mathematics course taking patterns in high school and college had on the income of females. The study further examines the effect that mathematics has on educational attainment, high school grades, high school program, socioeconomic status, race, achievement tests and occupation. The data utilized in this study was collected by the U.S. Dept. of Education, Center for Education Statistics. The study sample, High School and Beyond (HSB) Class of 1980, included over 28,000 seniors enrolled in 1,105 public and private high schools across the country. Study findings showed that there was a significant relationship between the level of female HSB students' high school and college mathematics participation and level of achievement, college program, occupation and career choice and level of income earned. The performance level of females in the study consistently lagged behind males in the majority of areas observed in the study. The findings of the study showed that, although females did indeed not perform as well as their male counterparts in most areas, as the participation rates increased for females taking a high number of courses in high school mathematics (greater than three) and a high number of credits of college mathematics (greater than 16), the disparity between males and females decreased.