Sexism in education manifests itself in the scarcity of women in traditionally male fields. De Castell observes, "Although women constitute just over 50% of our population, they share inferior status with many minority groups; indeed, women are often referred to as the '51% minority'" (174).
Sexual stereotyping accounts for much of the discrimination faced by women across all educational fields, and it is especially apparent in those areas predominantly held by men. What kinds of opportunities have been denied to female students solely on the basis of sex? What significant knowledge have women been denied by a patriarchal educational system that has sought to relegate them to their "natural" status as nurturers of men rather than as equals? If the intellectual abilities of over half of the world's population are not allowed to develop equally with those of men, then surely the human society is poorer as a result.
De Castell asserts, "too many successful women threaten the (covert) ideology of male superiority" (233). In a patriarchal society, women will be attempting to counter an educational system which may pronounce the liberal ideology, but renounce an influx of too many women into traditional male fields.
Over the past several decades, schools have become accustomed to more women entering rigorously analytical fields such as law, engineering, and the physical sciences. Women are not seen as a potent force for change in these areas, however, because their number remains small. In fact, "the strategy of 'repressive tolerance' is operating" (De Castell 233). In other words, "repressive tolerance encourages the 'tolerance' of diversity and difference, but only up to the point that such difference actually becomes a potent force for change" (De Castell 233).
De Castell contends that messages such as, "you are very mathematical, for a girl" (232), are biased and exclusionary, because they tell a student that she will...