Does the mere mention of maths make you uneasy? Did homework involving numbers feel like a childhood nightmare? If so, the cause may lie not in the classroom, but at home, and more specifically, with mothers.
A new survey by a charity founded by former British prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty has revealed a striking and unexpected insight.
Survey Reveals How Maths Anxiety Is Passed Down
According to a report by The Richmond Project, an education charity established by Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty, mothers often unknowingly pass their anxiety about maths on to their daughters. The survey highlights that when a mother feels uncomfortable with numbers, her daughter’s confidence in maths is likely to decline as well.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Akshata Murty said, “Women have more anxiety about maths than men. When a little girl sees her mother nervous or struggling while doing homework, she subconsciously assumes that maths is difficult. And then this fear is passed down from generation to generation.”
Boys Grow More Confident, Girls Fall Behind
The survey data shows that this confidence gap begins early and widens with age:
- Ages 4 to 8: 51% of boys describe maths as ‘easy’, compared to just 41% of girls.
- Ages 9 to 18: The gap increases significantly. At this stage, 86% of boys say they are confident in maths, while only 63% of girls feel the same.
The study, which surveyed 8,000 adults, also found that women are twice as likely as men to feel nervous when dealing with numbers. Even in professional settings, 61% of men say they enjoy working with numbers, compared to only 43% of women.
Making Maths A Part Of Everyday Life
Akshata Murty shared that she never experienced this fear of maths herself, largely because her mother was an engineer and her aunts also came from science backgrounds. Drawing from this experience, she tries to shape how her children learn it, consciously keeping maths away from textbooks for her daughters, Krishna and Anushka. She explained, “Our mission is to make people stop thinking of numbers as just a ‘subject’. Whether it’s buying vegetables, checking train timetables, measuring ingredients in a recipe, or splitting a restaurant bill, maths is everywhere. Solve it like a puzzle, not a burden.”
Although the full report is scheduled to be officially published next week, its findings have already ignited discussion around parenting styles, gender stereotypes, and how early attitudes towards maths are shaped at home.
