Societal inequalities amplify gender gaps in math

Abstract

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Girls’ comparative advantage in reading can largely explain the gender gap in math-related fields

“…An underrepresentation of girls among high math achievers is indeed observed in most countries (25), but taken in isolation, this phenomenon is unlikely to be a good explanation for the gender gap in math-intensive fields. Indeed, this gender gap tends to be larger among high math achievers ( Fig.…”

“…Math and reading abilities at 15 y old are likely to be determined by earlier socialization processes that shape preferences and investment in the different fields. These processes are themselves likely to be influenced by countries' socioeconomic environment and culture (25,31) or institutions such as parents and schools, which jointly determine future abilities, interests, and self-concepts. For example, we observe that the gender gap in MR at 15 y old is larger in countries where the stereotype associating math with men is stronger (SI Appendix, Table S8).…”

Difficulty Orientations, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity: An Intersectional Analysis of Pathways to STEM Degrees

“…Perhaps in part explaining this result, Hanson (2008) finds that contemporary labor norms in the Black community contribute to their resilience, whereby female gender serves as an advantage for Black girls pursuing scientific careers. Recent research shows wider gender gaps among more affluent and more White school districts in the U.S. (Reardon et al 2018); gender gaps also seem wider where inequality is smaller internationally, with upward mobility motivating women towards high-earning fields (Breda et al 2018;Charles and Bradley 2009). Past studies have found Black girls report particularly high interest in science classes and careers (Hanson 2004;Riegle-Crumb et al 2011).…”

The gender gap in educational outcomes in Norway

“…Given the broad similarity between the PISA reading and the PIAAC literacy assessments (for a comprehensive discussion on the comparability of the PISA reading and the PIAAC literacy assessments see (Borgonovi et al, 2017[18])), these results, together with the evidence presented in previous sections, are of potential great policy relevance. Borgonovi and co-authors show that differences in target population, differences in the assessment content, differences in response formats or mode of delivery do not explain the very different results on gender gaps estimated in the two surveys (Borgonovi et al, 2017 [18]). While further work evaluating the impact of the test length, response rates and treatment of missing answers should be undertaken, the evidence from the two surveys, if confirmed would appear to suggest that gender gaps in text comprehension skills may depend, at least in part, from test conditions and therefore that boys' disadvantage in school-based assessments may reflect not just differences in cognitive skills but also (and crucially) differences in engagement and motivation with school-based tests.…”