Gender and Mathematics: The (Dis)incentive for Women's Participation in Science in the Field of Mathematics

• Grant number: 25/06551-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Specific topics in Education
• Principal Investigator: Maria Ednéia Martins
• Grantee: Letícia Caroline Garcia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to analyze whether there is an asymmetry in the participation of men and women in the Scientific Initiation Congress (CIC) at Unesp over the past five years in the field of Exact and Earth Sciences, particularly regarding the participation of female students from the Mathematics program at the Faculty of Sciences on the Bauru campus of Unesp. Based on data from the Congress, such as its proceedings, we will compare the number of male and female participants in the two phases: the first, a local phase at the Faculty of Sciences, and the second, a general phase at the institutional level, which includes works selected from the first phase and features nominations for awards. In addition to the quantitative approach, interviews will be conducted with female students from the Mathematics programs at the Bauru campus of Unesp to understand their perceptions regarding access to academic opportunities and the challenges faced throughout their trajectories, as well as to discuss their participation in the CIC. By combining quantitative and qualitative data, this research seeks to highlight factors contributing to the invisibilization of women in the field of Exact Sciences and to foster discussions on the need for institutional policies that promote greater gender equity in scientific initiation and academic recognition. (AU)