Source: The post India must rethink neutrality amid rising global tensions has been created, based on the article “When does the gender gap emerge with respect to mathematical abilities?” published in “The Hindu” on 1st July 2025
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education.
Context: Although boys and girls begin school with similar maths abilities, a gender gap quickly emerges. A large-scale French study published in Nature shows this gap begins within months of formal schooling, urging timely and targeted educational interventions.
For detailed information on Phasing out the line, ‘math is not for a girl’ read this article here
Early Emergence of the Gender Gap
- Equal Starting Point: The study analysed 26.53 lakh French children aged 5–7 between 2018 and 2022. Boys and girls showed similar maths skills at school entry. Slightly more boys were among both top and bottom performers.
- Gap After Four Months: After just four months, a small but statistically significant gap favouring boys appeared. By the next year, boys made up twice as many of the top 5% performers compared to girls.
- Consistent Across Years and Regions: This pattern remained steady across four years, in every French region, and across public and private schools, regardless of socio-economic level or family background.
- Larger Gap in Affluent Families: The gap was wider in high-income families, especially when both parents held scientific jobs. This trend was not observed in language skills.
Understanding the Underlying Causes
- Not Due to Natural Differences: Since abilities were similar at school entry, the gap is not due to innate aptitude. However, the descriptive nature of the data prevents causal conclusions.
- Effect of Anxiety and Competition: Timed and competitive test settings may cause greater anxiety among girls. The study found the gender gap widened with test difficulty.
- Influence of Stereotypes: In primary school, maths activities become explicitly labelled, possibly activating gender stereotypes. These may shape how children see themselves and their performance.
- Bias in Adult Expectations: Teachers may guide girls towards reading and boys towards arithmetic, reinforcing gender roles. Parents may hold similar beliefs about ability.
Strategies for Intervention
- Better Teacher Training: Encouraging teachers to engage both genders equally in maths and to appreciate both effort and talent can improve outcomes. Enhancing teachers’ maths training is also crucial.
- Inspiring Role Models: Children should see both male and female role models in STEM fields to build confidence and interest.
- Managing Maths Anxiety: Girls can benefit from self-affirmation tasks and a focus on growth mindset — that intelligence is malleable through effort.
- Need for Early Action: As the gap appears in just a few months, early interventions are vital to stop it from becoming permanent.
Question for practice:
Examine how early formal schooling contributes to the gender gap in mathematics performance among young children.
