“They do not have the same needs”: Mathematics education for girls and young women in France (19th-early 20th century)

This article examines the main places and characteristics of mathematics education for girls and young women in primary and secondary schools during the 19th and early 20th century. It looks at, in particular, the mathematical content that pupils learned in these schools and the aims of the teaching they received. It shows how female mathematics teaching differed from its male counterpart by responding to various gender stereotypes referring to the ‘nature’ and social role of women. The article also presents to what extent the girls’ mathematics programs were progressively aligned with those of boys, until they became almost identical from the 1920s onwards. • In the 19th century female mathematics teaching was mainly focused on arithmetic. • Gender stereotypes referring to the ‘nature’ and social role of women were decisive. • The differences between girls’ and boys’ mathematical teaching were substantial. • From the 1860s, girls’ programs were progressively aligned with those of boys.