Gender and Mother-Child Interactions during Mathematics Homework: The Importance of Individual Differences

Do contemporary families promote gender-differentiated or egalitarian attitudes and behavior surrounding mathematics? The current study examined mother-child interactions during mathematics homework as a microcosm of contemporary gender socialization. Results revealed individual differences in mothers\u27 treatment of their fifth-grade sons and daughters during mathematics homework interactions, with effects moderated by mothers\u27 gender-role attitudes and mathematics education. Traditional mothers, especially those with greater mathematics education, showed more gender differentiation than egalitarian mothers. Similar individual differences were seen in mothers\u27 and children\u27s attitudes toward mathematics. These findings illustrate the subtlety of gender socialization by showing that mothers\u27 gender-role attitudes, children\u27s gender-role identities, and mothers\u27 education all play important roles in the gender differentiation of children\u27s mathematics attitudes and behavior