The “math for girls” TikTok trend has nothing to do with self-preservation

Not a month goes by without TikTok introducing a new “girl” trend. Yet, among other things Girl dinner, Hot girl walkingin Lazy girl jobs Online discourse has been enriched recently Math girl – “Mathematical” justification for large expenses. Example: A bag worth 1,000 euros that lasts you for five years will cost you 200 euros annually, that is, less than one euro per day, and if you include your other bags Replaces it, saves additional costs, and this expensive bag is actually free.

do you understand? Of course not, that’s not the point. In girlish mathematics, cash is “free” and sunk costs disappear; It’s a debilitating form of economics for people who don’t feel like thinking about the tangible costs of living.

It’s easy to call Math Girl sexist – of course she is. No one was talking about it Boy mathematics when Influencers Invite teens to allocate a step budget for an incomplete cryptocurrency course; No one mentions the tons of cash sitting in the Jumbo CEO’s house Math man. What’s striking is that Math for Girls is a trend for and by women: TikTok girls eagerly making fun of themselves by “justifying” their expensive purchases with childish accounts.

Research conducted by Stanford University five years ago showed that the difference in performance in mathematics between boys and girls who grow up in a more affluent environment is greater than the difference between boys and girls who live in a deprived environment. Girls from affluent white families are much worse at math than their male peers, while girls from black and Latino communities, where income is lower, are much better than boys.

One possible explanation is that fathers in wealthier families are more often breadwinners and work more than mothers. As a result, parents will Conveying gender stereotypes: boys are encouraged to explore science, girls to practice ballet. Families from poor backgrounds cannot afford this kind of stereotypes, as everyone has to work there.

From studying that Psychological sciences It turns out it was published in 2018 Girls from gender-equal countries are much less likely to choose science education than women from, for example, Turkey or Iran. Their scientific skill is At the same time he is the same and on an equal footing with the boys. According to the researchers, it has become clear that women are, in principle, as good at scientific subjects as men, but in subjects that flourish and are equal between the sexes. Countries feel less need to develop in this area. Women from countries with gender inequality view science subjects as a means of liberation. For them, an education that provides high employment opportunities and income security is more important – which is why they are more likely to choose computer science or econometrics.

It’s no coincidence that Girl Math is particularly popular among wealthy white TikTok users — women for whom money feels more like a game than a means of survival. A Korean vlogger recently explained how she always takes all her mini shampoos with her to hotels and uses every last drop. She concluded her speech by saying: “This is why Asian women are the future.”