Research in gender and mathematics education: the production of difference

Our aim in this short chapter is to take a ‘critical’ look at the area of gender research in mathematics education. In doing so we are particularly interested in considering what it is that constitutes gender in this research. Our critical position is informed by feminist philosophers, educational researchers and methodologists (see for example Grosz, 1990; Harding, 1986, 1991; Lather, 1991, 1992) and we have also drawn on the work of Habermas (1972) as it has been applied to education by Grundy (1987).