Sex differences in education in the United States refers to the specific issues, such as gender-based discrimination related to coursework and use of disciplinary action, that American students of all genders encounter.
Educational scholars and other sociologists use these claims to support their theories regarding male enrollment in specific academic subjects.
Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson examine the ways in which boys' earlier experiences with education impact their later relationships with schooling.
[6] The authors go on to state that boys' typical behaviors—such as their propensity for physical action—are a "problem" when they enter American schools, institutions that prioritize obedience and self-control.
[9] This large number of female teachers in American schools thus created a fear among men that boys would learn (and perform) traits that were socially coded as feminine.
[11] DiPrete and Buchmann synthesize other scholars' work concerning conceptions of "masculinity" and its influence on male performance in American high schools.
They use examples, such as survey data and student interviews, to highlight the fact that peer groups may be partially responsible for explaining male patterns of achievement.
[15] Males largely outnumber females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics related careers, which are commonly referred to as STEM.
This data suggests, then, that the differences between male and female interest in STEM subjects is developed from an early age and exacerbated through education.
When female students reach the age where they begin to feel ostracized by their peers for a passion for science, they have an easy option to transition out of the field completely.
One such example is IWITTS' CalWomenTech Project, which increased the City College of San Francisco's Computer Networking and Information Technology (CNIT) program's female enrollment from 18.1% to 30.1%.
Thomas A. DiPrete and Claudia Bachmann say one of the three main reasons for this is because girls show higher levels of attachment to school leading to a deeper sense of gratification when receiving these good grades.
Students encourage school involvement if it is paired with the suitable behaviors of being popular, athletic, or participating in extracurricular activities according to Thomas A. DiPrete and Claudia Buchmann.
In contrast, students may have school attachment because they are invested emotionally and receive a great sentiment of success from it, especially when obtaining positive regard from teachers.
Girls' inspiration for long-term educational success could also be contributed by a higher satisfaction of school and the instant fulfilment they get from a great performance.
[18] Through extensive research, the results shed light on a host of variances in both the execution of networking and its success levels between men and women.
For example, assertiveness is often considered to be a sign of strength or good leadership in a man, yet, on the contrary, can cause others to think a woman is too opinionated or bossy.
Another aspect of parenthood that creates workforce discrimination is the presence of a societal pressure put on women to stay at home with their children.
Not only could this make employers less inclined to hire a woman for time-consuming jobs, but it leaves a stigma on mothers who chose to work full-time, something men don't experience.
Workforce discrimination is the result of a very complex list of causes, including gender norms and stereotypes, networking patterns, and the perception of parenthood.