In celebration of International Women’s Day, IEA Communications spoke to the Directors of IEA offices in Hamburg and Amsterdam, Juliane Hencke (JH) and Andrea Netten (AN), about the role of IEA data in understanding and closing gender gaps, their careers in education research, the importance of mentorship in supporting women’s careers, and how to #BreakTheBias.
Andrea and Juliane remind us of the importance of fostering confidence in girls and women in pursuing and developing careers in management and science and leave us with an important message: “Trust in yourself and take the opportunities that you get.”
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Break the Bias. It is fair to say that these gender biases often run deep, and women sometimes need an external push to advance their professional life. In your opinion, how can women overcome these biases?
JH: This is a difficult question to answer short. We see that biases start showing very early on. IEA Compass Brief 11 analyzed gender gaps in science over the last 20 years and found that several education systems show a persisting trend of boys constituting a majority in the group of high achievers in science. STEM subjects have long been favored by male students, which leads to a situation that enables gender differences in academic competencies and an underrepresentation of women in scientific careers.
However, these fields are extremely important for future global development. There are huge challenges ahead of us, especially related to the environment and accelerating climate change. We must use the potential women have, as attested by their achievements in these subjects and encourage the growth of female scientists to ensure that we do not miss out on their potential in science.
AN: I was very lucky in my career that I always encountered managers who supported me in developing my career and skills. At IEA, we also try to create a work environment where employees’ values are recognized and nurtured regardless of their gender, promoting equal opportunities for all colleagues. While Juliane and I lead IEA’s two offices, we have gender parity in the overall directorial structure on the organizational level.
Speaking globally on the occasion of International Women’s Day, however, there is still a long way to go for having equal opportunities and career paths for men and women. This question takes me back to an event from my student days. Sitting in a room of sixty psychology students, out of which only about five were men, the professor raised the question of how many people will work full-time (part-time contracts are not uncommon in the Netherlands). However, only six of us raised our hands–the five guys and me! Many women thus still limit themselves in their career choices by mentalizing their role as primary family caretakers–even before they have a family.
We need to do something about that. The notion of the woman being the main caretaker of children while the man primarily has career needs to go away. These notions are deeply engrained in our society, which makes them difficult to change systematically.
Nonetheless, I wonder if I feel this way because of my childhood role models. I grew up with a father who stayed at home and a mother who had a career. It is important for girls to see more examples of alternative family structures to change the mindset that assumes women need to prioritize having a family over a career.
IEA’s data on achievement by gender offers insights into gender gaps in different subjects on an international scale. Can this data help level the playing field between genders, and how?
JH: If you look at the trends in achievement by gender in IEA reports, you can see how some countries have managed to close the gap over time. IEA data offers insights for countries to learn from one another and to consider different approaches that worked in narrowing or closing the gap.
It is crucial to stress here that I do not think that the gap should change from one gender outperforming the other. The aim should be to close the gap. For example, although boys outperform girls in mathematics in many countries, in nearly all the PIRLS participating countries, girls have had higher achievement than boys, both in PIRLS 2016 and as indicated by trends from previous cycles of the study.
IEA also contributes to understanding how gender gap trends may change over time. For example, although several countries narrowed the reading gap in 2011 (France, Israel, Italy, Spain), girls again had higher achievements than boys in PIRLS 2016. Portugal was the only country to close the gender gap in 2016.
I think a lot has changed in the past. For example, children’s books are much more diverse nowadays using a variety of characters, independent of gender or ethnicity. There is more diversity in hero figures and characters that represent professions to children. IEA can contribute to the debate on closing gender gaps over time with the data we provide.
AN: IEA’s scientific and robust data is a reliable source for countries developing tailored policy approaches to close gender gaps in these areas. It also provides the opportunity for countries to learn from one another and consider adapting measures from countries that have succeeded in narrowing or closing the gap. If you look at motivation, TIMSS 2019 data show that 26% of girls internationally are not confident in mathematics already at grade 4, compared to 21% of boys at the same grade. They are not encouraged enough in schools or society to pursue subjects that lead to careers that are generally not assumed for girls. Across 39 countries that participated in TIMSS 2019 at grade 8, 26% of boys surveyed internationally agree strongly with the statement “I would like a job that involves using mathematics,” compared to only 18% of girls. IEA data can highlight the studying areas that require additional efforts in closing the gender gap and track the impact of these efforts through trend data.
For example, TIMSS data trends show that gender equity eroded in mathematics at grade 4 from 2015 to 2019, with boys achieving a higher score on average in almost half of the countries, compared to around a third of the countries in 2015. On the other hand, TIMSS 2019 revealed that there are more countries in which girls have higher average achievement compared to boys in science at both grade 4 and 8. This is a different situation compared to the first TIMSS 1995 findings, in which there were no countries reporting that girls performed higher than boys in science.
We need to see the same potential in all genders; some students will end up as writers, and others may end up working in construction. Or both! There is still a lot to be done to get to the point where we do not see these professions through the gendered lens.
JH: I completely agree. There are quite a number of countries that have achieved closing the gender gap in certain subjects, but if you look deeper, there are still certain gender patterns. For example, boys feel more confident in mathematics and physics, despite the fact that often girls do not perform worse in these subjects. However, there is also biology, where girls feel more confident than boys, so in science, it very much depends on the subject matter. These patterns translate to career choices. Girls need to be extraordinarily motivated to pursue science and mathematics subjects, which again stresses the importance of social encouragement in the right direction. Teachers play an important role in fostering the confidence girls need to pursue certain studies.
AN: Yes, and there is also the aspect that students are mostly taught by female teachers, in the Netherlands, but also in many other countries. That makes a difference, we need to diversify and make the teaching profession more attractive as a career choice independent of gender.
Absolutely, it is important to see gender diversity across all careers, and it helps to have good role models as we work toward this goal. Is there a woman who has been inspiring or important to you in your professional aspirations?
JH: The first woman that comes to my mind is my mother. She was 18 when I was born, but despite the interruption in her schooling due to the pregnancy, she later continued her studies and entered a steadily growing political career. I am the eldest of three children, and my mother was always a role model who showed me that it is possible to balance professional and family life. She valued both, worked hard, but always put her family first. She taught me to trust in myself, and always pushed me to seize opportunities. I think I am here because I experienced this type of family structure that worked out for us, even with my mother working in the hard field of politics.
However, my role additionally requires a partner who stands behind you and takes on an active role in caring for the children, together with additional support, for example, from grandparents. Without this help, I do not think I could have taken over my current role.
What is your advice for young women who are considering a career in science, either as researchers or in executive roles?
AN: Choose the path that fits you best, the working field that you are most passionate about, and do not let yourself be limited by anyone else. In the research field, it is really important that you are committed to the research area or topic. Science is more than a job; it is important to stay motivated and you need to be passionate about your research for that to work. Ultimately, do what suits you, as long as that is what you like most and not what anyone else around you or society imposes on you.
JH: I completely agree, it is important not to be convinced by other people in your career choices. But I also think it is important to have confidence, trust in yourself, and take the opportunities that you get. If you do not take up the challenges, you cannot go back in time – these opportunities may not come again. You are more likely to regret a missed opportunity, and it is important to trust in yourself even if you are not 100% convinced that you can do it at the beginning. What is the worst thing that can happen? If you fail, you do something else. If you succeed, you will be more confident and prouder of your accomplishments.
Thank you both very much for your time. Happy International Women’s Day!
Further Reading
IEA’s international reports offer a wealth of data on attitudes and learning achievements by gender in mathematics, science, reading, and computer and information literacy collected through its studies TIMSS, PIRLS, and ICILS. Researchers have used this data to further analyze gender differences in these subjects in secondary analysis publications, such as IEA Compass Brief 11 on evidence on international trends in gender gaps in science over 20 years using TIMSS data, or the open access book Gender Differences in Computer and Information Literacy from our Research for Education series. Furthermore, IEA’s data on learning outcomes by gender is used by UNESCO as an indicator for monitoring progress toward achieving UN’s SDG 4 that aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Dr Andrea Netten is the Director of IEA Amsterdam, where she manages four teams: The Secretariat, Translation, Verification and Quality Control (TIQ), Finance, and Communications. She holds managerial responsibilities for the IEA headquarters and helps ensure that the responsibilities of IEA Amsterdam in international projects are met. She also maintains contact with IEA partners and is responsible for initial country communications before countries start participating in IEA studies.
Prior to joining IEA, Andrea worked as National Research Coordinator (NRC) for PIRLS at the National Language Education Center (Expertisecentrum Nederlands) in the Netherlands, where she completed a PhD in Social Sciences on PIRLS data. She has been involved in IEA studies since 2004 and was appointed Director of IEA Amsterdam in 2017.
Juliane Hencke is the Director of IEA Hamburg. She is responsible for the overall functional and personnel management of IEA Hamburg in close cooperation with the IEA Hamburg Deputy Directors, Svenja Bundt, and Christian Groth. Juliane and her team are responsible for project initiation for national studies in Germany and involved in the conception of new international studies, as well as technical and personnel management of department heads and staff units. They ensure continuous further development of IEA Hamburg in alignment with the overall IEA strategy, as well as personnel and organizational development in different areas. Juliane represents IEA Hamburg with external clients, partners, and stakeholders.
Juliane started her career at IEA Hamburg from the ground up – from being employed as a student assistant in 2000 for data processing of international IEA studies, through serving as Study Director for several international studies, to her appointment as Director of IEA Hamburg in 2019. Reflecting on her career at IEA, Juliane said: “Looking back, I realized that I was always approached by my supervisors to take on the next step. I think that is a very good indication of IEA culture, that there are supervisors who see your potential, trust in you, and foster your growth.”