Choosing Mathematics ‘You Need it Even if You Don't Want to Do it’

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Abstract
Because of the concern about gender differences in participation in various school subjects and the policies to redress those differences, the reasons and processes for choosing subjects are an important consideration in the gender equity debate. In this paper, data from interviews with Year 11 girls are analysed to highlight some of the complexity of choosing mathematics in the post-compulsory years of schooling. Campaigns to encourage girls to choose mathematics and the impact these have had on subject choices are presented as being problematic. The importance of mathematics is justified in terms of its role as a filter for future pathways but the hierarchy of mathematics subjects in schools means that these pathways are not open to all girls.