Gender differences in attitudes toward statistics: is there a case for a confidence gap?

Female students tend to underestimate their abilities and to have more negative attitudes toward quantitative disciplines when compared to male students. In teaching statistics this concern has to be taken into account since it may create an obstacle for learning. The aim of the present study was twofold: to test if women had less confidence and more negative attitude than men regardless their actual abilities, and to investigate if achievement in statistics was affected by these factors controlling for gender. Results showed that women did not differ in their abilities but showed less confidence and more negative attitudes when compared to men. Moreover, confidence and attitude played a role on achievement in women but not in men. The importance of enhancing attitudes toward statistics in female students was discussed.