Maisy Pallister
I have a vivid memory of sitting in a GCSE Chemistry lesson, listening to my teacher state that his son’s degree in Creative Writing was essentially pointless.
Having always excelled in English and Humanities, this angered me. But, more than that, I began to question my plans for the future and the career path I was planning.
It felt like my teacher’s comments were produced by harmful gender stereotypes. His disappointment shows how the left-right brain myth has cemented sexist divisions in education and consequently created a hierarchy of subjects.
Let me explain.
Gender and the left-right brain myth
These gender stereotypes are dichotomised in the harmful ‘Maths vs. English brain’ narrative, which manifests in our education system and is politicised.
The idea, which dates back to the 1800s, is based on inconclusive science and a strong lack of evidence. It suggests either the left or right hemisphere of the brain assumes dominance, according to your personality.
Allegedly, if the left brain, or the ‘Maths’ brain, is dominant, it means you have:
- Natural aptitude for analysis
- Attention to detail
- Comfort with quantitative data
- Personality traits which are ruled by logic
Conversely, a right-brained (the ‘English’ brain’) individual is characterised as:
- Intuitive
- Creative
- Experiences the world in subjective and descriptive terms
Whilst differences exist in the way the brain comprehends numbers and words, there is no overall dominant side. The brain’s complexities and functions are incompatible with this binary thinking.
“Of course, the issue is not only concerned with gender, but social class too”
Culturally, the left-right brain myth is associated with gender. It perpetuates that boys are better at maths and girls are better at verbal skills. As a consequence, the ‘masculine’ STEM subjects are highly valued, while fields heavily dominated by women are devalued.
My teacher was disappointed in his son for pursuing a creative subject because it is construed as a ‘feminine’ area of study.
Educational impact
This narrative contributes to a wide range of educational inequalities. Female students who enter ‘masculine’ fields are often overlooked, patronised, or subjected to constant sexism. Additionally, subjects are categorised as ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ (easy) based on the gendered values attributed to them.
Downplaying the arts, humanities, and creatives through this narrative results in a lack of belief in creative capabilities. You only have to read about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to cut funding to arts degrees to see how this has become a political issue.
Too many students are being sold a university education that won't get them a decent job at the end of it.
So I'm cracking down on rip-off degrees and boosting apprenticeships to ensure students get the best deal possible.
Widening access. Boosting jobs. Growing the economy.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 17, 2023
When universities are businesses, higher education is incorrectly viewed as a direct course to a specific career. Because studying is career-focused, instead of being driven by passion, STEM subjects are unfairly prioritised. The arts and humanities are seemingly incompatible with a capitalist society.
Underrepresentation in STEM
In a world where arts and humanities degrees are increasingly undervalued, women are still underrepresented in STEM subjects. Many lack the confidence to pursue these subjects, due to the lack of positive role models, underrepresentation, and encouragement. Even in the more gender-neutral Nordic countries, there are still very few women embarking on STEM careers.
Of course, the issue is not only concerned with gender, but social class too.
Class is a significant barrier to pursuing STEM subjects, for both girls and boys. The high pay for STEM workers only continues to perpetuate this problem. Race is another major factor: today, only 9 per cent of STEM workers are Black. Furthermore, Black and Hispanic adults are less likely to earn degrees in STEM than other degree fields.
“…children of all genders will be discouraged from pursuing non-traditional career paths”
Thinking of subjects in binary, gendered terms and the narratives that this produces also evades the experiences of transgender and non-binary people. It’s difficult to measure how underrepresented LGBTQ+ people are within STEM because data fails to capture their experiences correctly. Ironically, this may also make them less likely to work in STEM.
Despite attempts to diversify STEM, there has been uneven progress in increasing diversity.
Undoing the left-right brain myth
You might be wondering what this has to do with me being angry in a science lesson? It has everything to do with it.
As long as we continue to feed into the left-right brain myth, children of all genders will be discouraged from pursuing non-traditional career paths. But women will bear the brunt of it, working in undervalued fields of work and lacking access to the means to change that.
Having conversations with our friends, family, and future children can help us dismantle the gendered stereotypes that encourage this harmful myth. Maybe we can envision a future where subjects are free from gendered stereotypes, as well as the rankings of their economic utility.
READ MORE:
-
HEALING HARMONIES: THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC THERAPY
-
A FEMINIST HISTORY OF VEGETARIANISM
-
TRUE CRIME TV: THE THIN LINE BETWEEN ETHICAL AND EXPLOITATIVE
Featured image courtesy of Jerry Wang on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
