ABSTRACT
At 14 years of age, Jenny is the oldest of six children. She serves as a secondary mother figure in her home, performing household duties such as cooking, cleaning, and looking after her younger siblings. She barely has sufficient time to go to school, let alone study enough to make attendance worthwhile. While this scenario may sound extreme, it is in no way atypical in a country like Papua New Guinea where the average family has five or six children. As in any other country, culture, social beliefs, and traditions all play an important role in the education of females. But, situations like the one described above serve only to widen the rift between male and female students. The aim of this chapter is to investigate the cultural issues affecting the education of females in Papua New Guinea and to suggest ways of improving the quality of their mathematical education.
