When does the gender gap emerge with respect to mathematical abilities?

The Hindu

a day ago

Martinot, P., Colnet, B., Breda, T. et al, 'Rapid emergence of a maths gender gap in first grade', Nature (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09126-4
Across the world, women are under-represented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Their absence has consequences: it narrows perspectives in STEM, potentially hinders progress in research, and perpetuates gender differences at the workplace.
This inequality stands in stark contrast to the fact that boys and girls begin school with the same mathematical abilities. A gender gap begins to emerge only after boys and girls start learning the subject formally in school, that is, during the first year. These are the findings of a study published recently in Nature by researchers in France. Understanding this data and the underlying reasons are crucial as they can help policymakers intervene at the right time and in the right ways to narrow the gap.
Findings of the study
In the past, educationists, economists, sociologists, psychologists, and others have conducted several studies. One study in the U.S. showed that a maths gender gap favouring boys emerged within the first few years of schooling. Another study that followed 2,633 children in France found that a maths gender gap was absent in kindergarten but became favourable to boys by ages 7-8.
The latest study in Nature reinforces what other studies have found in the past, but by using 'an exceptionally large and exhaustive dataset,' according to the researchers. The researchers studied 26.53 lakh children aged 5-7 years in France over four years. They analysed four consecutive cohorts from 2018 to 2022. All these children took the EvalAide, a nationwide battery of tests given to first and second grade students to assess their language and maths abilities.
When boys and girls entered school, their average maths performance was nearly identical in 2018. There were more boys clustered among the top and bottom performers. However, just after four months of schooling, the researchers found a small but highly significant gap emerging, which favoured boys. By the next year, there were twice as many boys as girls among the top 5% of performers.
Importantly, this gap was found in every cohort across the four consecutive years. This meant that it was not due to any specific societal, economic, or curricular changes in a particular year. The gap was found in each region of France, in schools serving communities at both high and low socio-economical levels, in private as well as public schools, and regardless of family composition.
Curiously, the gap between boys and girls was wider if the children were from high-income families — a phenomenon not found for language. It was also larger among high-income families where both parents held scientific occupations.
Analysing the gender gap
Since the children had similar abilities when they started formal education, we can conclude from the data that the gap is not related to any fundamental gender differences in aptitudes. So what explains the gap?
First, a few caveats. Researchers write that since the data is descriptive in nature, it can't be used to pin down causes. Second, a study conducted at intervals prevents any evaluation of the potentially continuous effect of school exposure or the effect of vacations. Third, the tests were not strictly identical at all points of time during the study. Fourth, the data is limited to one country.
Nevertheless, they offer some explanations consistent with their findings.
Maths problems are solved in a particular time frame and in a competitive setting, and these are conditions that girls are taught to fear. Their consequent anxiety could be exacerbating the gap. The researchers say this explanation is congruent with their finding that greater test difficulty enhances the gender gap.
Stereotypes that boys are better at maths could also be widening the gap. The researchers write that 'maths-related activities or exercises (for example, counting and subtracting) start to be more clearly identified as belonging to the maths domain' in primary school. They believe that this 'sudden labelling of maths-related activities as 'maths' (whereas language activities start earlier in preschool) might give space for gender stereotypes surrounding maths to emerge, to be internalised by children and, eventually, to affect their self-concept and performance.'
The attitudes of primary school teachers may be a factor as well. For example, teachers may encourage girls to read more and boys to do more division and subtraction. That is, they may attribute intellect to boys and diligence to girls. Parents may also have such assumptions about aptitudes.
Suggested interventions
As the problem begins after children start schooling, the researchers believe improving teacher training will be a crucial intervention. If teachers are encouraged to question girls and boys equally often during maths and science classes, and also to focus equally on the talents and efforts of children of both genders, it could lead to improved outcomes.
Also, if teacher training in maths is increased to improve their confidence and interest in this topic, it could effectively reduce the gap. This, the researchers say, is especially true of a country such as France, where most primary school teachers are female.
Interventions could also be directed towards children. For boys and girls to become convinced that maths is worth the effort, they should be exposed to both male and female role models with whom they can identify.
The researchers also suggest that girls should be provided with ways to cope with anxiety related to competition. They suggest implementing self-affirmation tasks. They also express belief that accentuating an incremental view of intelligence — that is, emphasising that abilities and intelligence are malleable and can be developed through effort and learning — would help.
In short, it takes just a few months for a gender gap to emerge, so quick interventions could help close the gap effectively.