Why so many kids give up on maths

Why So Many Kids Give Up on Maths

Loretta Payne, now in her second year of a double degree in Civil Engineering and Design in Architecture at the University of Sydney, has faced challenges staying in STEM. In high school, she was the only girl in her physics class and felt out of place. “I just wasn’t friends with anyone in that class, and it felt like I stood out in a weird way. So I dropped it.” Ultimately, Loretta was the only girl from her graduating year to pursue a STEM degree at the University of Sydney.

For Loretta, maths was never the problem. “I always liked maths,” she says. “It made sense to me, and I enjoyed the satisfaction of solving problems.” Girls are equally capable but are less often encouraged. Eddie highlights a cultural issue: “There’s a PR problem for maths. We’ve developed this idea that maths is for a certain type of person – usually a boy with a so-called ‘maths brain’. If you don’t fit that mould, you’re out.”

Eddie explains that the consequences of this mindset are systemic. Maths is hierarchical, with each concept building on the previous one. “If you miss a step early on, it’s very hard to catch up later. And because we don’t have enough qualified maths teachers, especially in regional schools, we see students disengage quickly.”

“I can’t tell you how many brilliant girls I’ve taught who were coming second or third in their class and still felt like they weren’t good at maths.” – Eddie

Often, this disengagement stems from a lack of confidence rather than ability.

Summary

The underrepresentation and discouragement of girls in maths stem from social stereotypes, insufficient teaching support, and the subject’s cumulative nature, leading to early dropout and lost potential.

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The University of Sydney The University of Sydney — 2025-11-05

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