This study aimed to assess what determines career choices in mathematics and
science among secondary school female students focusing on home environment, the
quality of school, and the ways of teaching of mathematics and science related
subjects in ten secondary schools in Ilala district, Dar es Salaam Region. The design
used was descriptive cross-sectional, whereby data was collected in a single place at
a time. Questionnaires, interviews and observation-checklists were used to collect
data from 160 respondents. The participants were clustered in the groups of students,
teachers and parents, from each cluster, the sample was taken. The major findings
revealed that although the majority of parents assist their female students in
mathematics and science in doing their homework - thus encouraging them to do
science and mathematics subjects, the home environments continue to follow the
traditional gender roles that leave household duties to females hence impeding them
from concentrating on school work. Furthermore, the findings revealed that quality
of schools in promoting science and mathematics related subjects was poor due to
lack of laboratories and laboratory supplies and inadequate number of qualified
science and mathematics teachers. Conclusion: The desire of the female students to
take up science and mathematics subjects and later related carriers has been very low
and thus attracting the attention of the learned community to think on what is really
going wrong on this and thus the respondents were able to give their views without
any hesitation. The study recommended that the government and school managers
should invest in constructing and equipping the laboratories to attract more female
students to do science subjects.