In going through our summer 2018 numbers, I was reminded of a ongoing, persistent pattern. Women Show. Up.
Approximately 55% of participants of the three IBL Workshops in summer 2018 are women. Let's put this into context. Yes, women are half the population, but they make up far less than half the math profession. The AMS publishes reports that give us a good snapshot of the demographics of the profession. Only 15% of tenure/tenure-track positions are held by women. Women comprise 29% of non-tenure track positions (including postdocs), and women are conferred about 25-30% of the PhDs in the Mathematical Sciences.
This is of course a good thing. Women benefit from IBL courses in ways such that it *levels the playing field*. (Men benefit too, and the operative notion is level playing, not one that favors one group over the others. See Laursen et al 2014.) And female math instructors who can be mentors, role models and who also use IBL methods can make a positive impact.
Diversity of perspectives is one of the ingredients of creativity, scholarship, and maintaining a robust field. People have made arguments for why diversity in Math (or any field) is a good thing, and I'm not going to repeat those arguments here. I'm going to instead highlight a very simple idea. If a person, any person, male, female, non-binary wants to learn Math, that should be supported. Period.
Allyship isn't just about agreeing in concept. Allyship is about doing the right thing, or at the very least not getting in the way. Using appropriate active-learning methods or supporting others to use them is a doable step for anyone in the profession. Women, men, non-binary math instructors are all welcome to get off the sidelines and be involved in improving math learning for everyone. Active, intentional allyship matters.
This isn't a zero-sum game. If a female student learns more math, it doesn't take anything away from a male student. Or in this case if we note that women are showing up to IBL workshops, that's a good thing, and doesn't take away from the accomplishments of men in the subfield. Hence, let's acknowledge and celebrate the fact that women show up to IBL Workshops!
