Girls fare better in maths in countries where women are more equal

Life News

Jun 12, 2008, 13:48 GMT

Florence, Italy - Girls are better than boys in reading, but they also can keep up with boys in mathematics when the genders are on a more equal footing in their native countries, according to research published in the journal Science. The data came to light on closer examination by Luigi Guiso of European University Institute in Florence of data published in 2003 in a PISA study. At the time, the maths and reading skills of more than 276,000 boys and girls age 15 from 40 countries were compared. Guiso's research showed a relationship between the social position of women in a country and the math skills of girls in that country. The higher the position, the greater the girls' abilities in mathematics. According to the analysis, girls were indeed on average worse in maths than their male counterparts, but in countries with more equality for women, the imbalance shifted in favour of girls. In Sweden and Norway, where there is now almost no inequality between men and women, there is hardly any difference in the maths performance of boys and girls. In Turkey and South Korea, on the other hand, where there remains greater inequality between the genders, there is a gaping difference. By contrast the social position of women had only a slight effect on the reading performance of the 15-year-olds. In all participating countries, girls achieved better results in this area, although females were able to score extra points in areas with greater equality. The researchers said the females could equal the mathematical performance of males through general equality, and they could further extend their already existing lead in reading.

View blog reactions

If you liked this story please support M&C and Buzz the site on Yahoo.

Latest Headlines in Life

Talkback

There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)

Latest from M&C Blogs

Is Sarah Palin a saviour or a strange choice? - Global Eye on September 2, 2008 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBacks (0)

Obama: the gloves come off in Denver - Global Eye on August 29, 2008 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Biden: good choice or admission of Obama's weakness? - Global Eye on August 25, 2008 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games - The World in Pictures on September 7, 2008 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A child sleeps as Hurricane Ike passes Dominican Republic - The World in Pictures on September 7, 2008 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Madonna gets 'Sticky and Sweet' in Rome - The World in Pictures on September 7, 2008 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Life

Girls fare better in maths in countries where women are more equal

Life News

Latest Headlines in Life

Talkback

Latest from M&C Blogs

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print