Students’ success in mathematics depends upon attitude towards mathematics. It also influences the participation rate of learners. This study was based on a survey of high school students about their attitudes towards mathematics. Students of both the gender constitute the population of this study. Sample of the study was 685 students (male = 379 and female = 306) of 10^th grade selected conveniently from 10 private and public sector schools. A questionnaire (α = 0.7452) was used to examine the attitudes of male and female students towards mathematics at secondary school level. Descriptive statistics and t-test with P < 0.05 level of significance were used for data analysis.

Ainley, J. and A. Fordham (1991), The development and application of national indicators of educational effectiveness. In: J. Hewton (ed.), Performance Indicators in Education: What can they tell us? Brisbane: Department of Education, Queensland.

American Association of University Women (1992), Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America: A Call to Action. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 340658.

Arnot, M., M. David and G. Weiner (1989), Educational reforms and gender equality in schools. Manchester: Equal Opportunities Commission, Research Discussion Series No. 17.

Barnes, M. and M. Horne (1996), Gender and mathematic. Research in Mathematics Education in Australasia 1992-1995. Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.

Barton, A. C. (2000), Crafting multicultural science education with pre-service teachers through service-learning. Journal of Curriculum Studies, Volume 32(6), pp. 797-820.

Booker, G., J. Briggs, G. Davey and S. Nisbett (1992), Teaching Primary Mathematics. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire.

Boswell, S. (1979), Nice Girls Don’t Study Mathematics: The Perspective from Elementary School. Symposium paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.

Cohen, R. and J. Kosler (1991), Gender Equity in High School Math: A Study of Female Participation and Achievement. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 345 935.

Costello, J. (1991), Teaching and Learning Mathematics. pp. 11-16. London: Routledge.

Curriculum Corporation (1991), A National Statement on Mathematics for Australian Schools. Carlton: Australian Education Council.

Cuttance, P. (1995), Educational outcomes for girls: A review of NSW government secondary schools. Unicorn, Volume 21(4), pp. 28-38.

Dickens, M. N. and D. G. Cornell (1993), Parental influences on the mathematics self-concept of high ability adolescent girls. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Volume 17, pp. 53-73.

Ethington, C. A. (1992), Gender differences in a psychological model of mathematics achievement. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Volume 23(2), pp. 166-181.

Fennema, E. and J. Sherman (1976), Fennema-Sherman mathematics attitudes scales, instruments designed to measure attitudes towards the learning of mathematics by females and males. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fennema, E. and J. Sherman (1977), Sex-related differences in mathematics achievement, spatial visualization and affective factors. American Educational Research Journal, Volume 14, pp. 51-71.

Fullarton, S. (1993), Confidence in Mathematics: The Effects of Gender. Geelong: Deakin University Press.

Furinghetti, F. and E. Pehkonen (2002), Rethinking characterizations of beliefs. In: G. Leder, E. Pehkonen, and G. Toerner (eds.), Beliefs: A Hidden Variable in Mathematics Education? Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 39-58.

Gavin, M. K. (1997), A gender study of students with high mathematics ability: Personological, educational and parental influences on the intent to pursue quantitative fields of study in college. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/newsletter/spring97/ sprng974.html.

Hanson, K. (1992), Teaching mathematics effectively and equitably to females. Trends and issues No. 17. New York: Columbia University, Teachers College. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 348465.

Leder, G. C. (1982), Mathematics achievement and fear of success. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Volume 13(2), pp. 124-135.

Leder, G. C. (1984), Sex differences in attributions for success and failure. Psychological Reports, Volume 54, pp. 57-58.

Leder, G. C. and P. Taylor (1995), Gender and mathematics performance: A question of testing? In: B. Grevholm and G. Hanna (eds.), Gender and Mathematics Education: An ICMI Study in Stifsgarden, Akersberg, Hoor, Sweden, 1993 (pp. 271-280). Lund; Lund University Press.

Leeson, N. (1995), Performance of sixth-graders in the Australian primary schools mathematics competition: Gender and others factors. Mathematics Education Research Journal, Volume 7(1), pp. 37-49.

Ma, X. and J. Xu (2004), Assessing the relationship between attitude towards mathematics and achievement in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Volume 28(1), pp. 26-47.

Malone, J. and D. Miller (1993), Communicating mathematical terms in writing: Some influential variables. In: M. Stephens, A. Waywood, D. Clark and J. Izard (eds.), Communicating Mathematics: Perspectives from Classroom Practice and Current Research (pp. 177-190). Australian Council for Educational Research.

Mathematical Sciences Education Board and National Research Council. (1989), Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education. Washington: National Academy Press.

Mullis, I. V. S., M. O. Martin, E. J. Gonzalez, K. M. Conner, S. J. Chrostowski, K. D. Gregory, R. A. Garden and T. A. Smith (2001), Mathematics Benchmarking Report. Retrieved October 1, 2006 from http:// timss.bc.edu/timss1999b/pdf/TB99_Math_all.pdf .

Mulryan, C. M. (1992), Student passivity during cooperative small groups in mathematics. Journal of Educational Research, Volume 85, pp. 261-273.

Robson, J. (1996), Some outcomes of learning through teleconferencing. Journal of Instructional Science and Technology, Volume 1(3). Retrieved October 26, 2006 from http://www.usq.edu.au/ electpub/e-jist/docs/old/vol1no3/article1.htm

Schiefele, U. and M. Csikszentmihalyi (1995), Motivation and ability as factors in mathematics experience and achievement. Journal for research in mathematics education, Volume 26(2), pp. 163-181.

Sherman, J. A. (1982), Mathematics the critical filter: A look at some residues. Psychology of Women Quarterly, Volume 6(4), pp. 428-444.

Subotnik, R. F. (1988), The motivation to experiment: A study of gifted adolescents’ attitudes toward scientific research. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Volume 11, pp. 19-35.

Willis, S. (1995), Gender justice and the mathematics curriculum: Four perspectives. In: L. Parker, L. Rennie and B. Fraser (eds.), Gender, Science and Mathematics Shortening the Shadow (pp. 41-51). Dordecht:  Kluwer.