For Loretta Payne, maths was never the enemy. "I always liked maths," she says. "It made sense to me, and I enjoyed the satisfaction of solving problems."
But even Loretta, now in her second year of a double degree in Civil Engineering and Design in Architecture at the University of Sydney, has had to push against the grain to stay in STEM. She remembers being the only girl in her high school physics class, and feeling like she didn't belong there. "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."
In the end, she was the only girl from her graduating year to go on to the University of Sydney to pursue a STEM degree.
"Girls are just as capable, but they're less likely to be told they're capable."
Dr Bronwyn Reid O'Connor
Senior lecturer in secondary mathematics education
Maths' PR problem
Despite outperforming boys in maths in primary school, during high school Australian girls are turning away from advanced maths subjects in droves. And that drop-off has lasting consequences - including closing the door to future STEM careers before many even realise the breadth of options that exist.
Professor Eddie Woo (BEd(Sec)(Hons) '08), a Professor of Practice at the University of Sydney, and one of the country's most recognised maths educators, calls it a cultural crisis.
"There's a PR problem for maths," he says. "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."
The consequences are systemic. Maths is hierarchical, Eddie explains - each concept builds on the one before. "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."
That disengagement often starts with a lack of confidence. "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 says. "Meanwhile, boys didn't seem to struggle as much with confidence in their abilities."
Dr Bronwyn Reid O'Connor , a senior lecturer in secondary mathematics education at the University of Sydney's School of Education and Social Work, says this confidence gap is deep-rooted and starts early. "Girls are just as capable," she stresses. "But they're less likely to be told they're capable."
Even subtle signals - teachers calling on boys more often, or parents suggesting that girls are better at English or the humanities - can send a message about who belongs in maths.
Maths, Bronwyn explains, is still often seen as a race to the right answer. "Speed and accuracy get rewarded over deep thinking," she observes. "That puts off students who might take a little longer but are just as capable - and often more interested in understanding the 'why'.
"Maths should be about reasoning, collaboration and persistence. When those qualities are sidelined, students - especially girls - may lose interest."
How a good teacher and a sense of belonging can help
Loretta knows the difference a good teacher can make. "My lecturer now is amazing," she says. "He really cares about what he's teaching and his students' success. I've never felt more confident in my maths."
Social belonging is another powerful factor. Loretta credits the University's Women in Engineering Society with helping her to feel part of a community. "It's really comforting," she says. "When you see another girl in a STEM subject, you instantly feel like you're friends. That network makes a big difference."
Professor Eddie Woo and Loretta Payne
"Significant problems can emerge when we stream students into 'high' and 'low' maths classes from Year 7. Once students are placed in the bottom stream, they often internalise that they're just 'not maths people."
Professor Eddie Woo (BEd '08)
To really make a change, we need to shake up the system
Bronwyn believes the change must start early. "Primary school teachers need more support and confidence in teaching maths," she says.
In addition, we need to shift the way we currently teach and assess maths at school level. "The way we assess maths - especially in high school - tends to reward memory and speed rather than deep understanding," she says. "That disadvantages a lot of students."
Eddie agrees. "Significant problems can emerge when we stream students into 'high' and 'low' maths classes from Year 7. Once students are placed in the bottom stream, they often internalise that they're just 'not maths people'."
Even top-performing students can be undermined by streaming. "Someone has to be the 'worst' in the top class," Bronwyn points out. "And that can do just as much damage to confidence."
Good maths teaching should also be about making space for mistakes. "We need error-friendly classrooms - where students feel safe to get it wrong," Bronwyn says. "Because getting it wrong is how you learn."
For Loretta, it's also about visibility. "If girls don't see women thriving in STEM careers, it's hard to picture themselves there. Having a role model - even just someone a few years ahead of you - can make you think, 'Maybe I can do this too.'"
In Loretta's case, her mum has been her role model right from the start. "My mum's an engineer," she explains. "She taught me maths from when I was little. It wasn't always the most wholesome experience" - she laughs - "but she really instilled how important it was."
So how do we achieve lasting change?
The University's recent $100 million gift from the Khuda Family Foundation is a case in point. While it's focused on supporting women in STEM, its impact could reach much further.
"Philanthropy can open doors not just for students but for the people who teach them," Eddie says. "It has the power to support teacher training, mentoring programs, and new approaches to curriculum. Real change happens when support follows students and their educators throughout the journey."
Bronwyn agrees. "We need to show students - especially girls - where maths can take them. Whether it's architecture, coding or farming, there's maths in every future. But if they can't see the pathway, why would they persist with a subject that feels hard and irrelevant?"
Loretta, for one, is glad she kept going. "I didn't always know where I was headed," she says. "But I stuck with the subjects I liked, and it's led me somewhere really exciting."
She has advice for any girl unsure about maths: "Stick with it. You don't need to be top of the class to belong in STEM. Just keep building your understanding. You'll get there."
Professor Eddie Woo says that improving student confidence and more qualified teachers are essential
