Prior research has consistently found that girls typically perform better in reading, while boys tend to perform better in math and science. According to a new study by scholars from the University of Turku in Finland, these gender differences widen in countries with higher levels of gender equality.
For their study, the authors examined 1.6 million adolescents across 82 countries in three waves (2012, 2015, and 2018) of the Programme for International Student Assessment, a standardized test that measures 15-year-olds’ reading, mathematics, and science knowledge. In their analysis, the authors found girls’ strength in reading and boys’ strength in math and science were stable across countries, waves, and achievement levels.
In countries where boys had larger advantages in math and science, girls had an even larger advantage in reading. Furthermore, the magnitude of these differences in reading and science performance – across all achievement levels – increased with increases in national gender equality.
According to the authors, these findings demonstrate a gender equality paradox. Countries that have achieved gender equality in broad domains of life may be more likely to encourage individuals to develop their pre-existing academic strengths, regardless of gender norms. Thus, girls’ consistently higher performance in reading across all academic achievement levels may be contributing to persistent gender gaps in the STEM workforce.