Female Trainee Teachers and Inequalities in Mathematics.

The issue of inequality in mathematics has lingered for decades and one wonders when we can
become satisfied on female participation. With two integrated models, we proposed a two-stage
design process to explore female trainee teachers’ knowledge and competencies in addressing
inequality in mathematics teaching and learning. Samples of 50 female trainees and 200 pupils
were involved in this study. Standardized tests were conducted for trainees and pupils to
determine the influence of inequality on mathematics teaching and learning outcomes. The
results did not only show enormous strengths and weaknesses but also opportunities and
threats. Also, the results of the pupils showed that many girls lacked basic knowledge and
competencies in mathematics. We therefore concluded that the two models contributed
significantly to enriching the teacher trainees’ knowledge and competencies in bridging female
inequality in mathematics. Consequently, we recommended that stakeholders offer varied
assistance, grants and scholarships for female teacher trainees and girls who wish to pursue
mathematics professions.