education
Gender gap in math performance grows again between boys and girls: warns Unesco
Girls' educational performance in mathematics has suffered a historical setback, returning to levels of inequality not seen since 1995. According to a recent report by Unesco and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the gender gap that seemed to be closing in recent decades has reopened after the pandemic.
TL;DR
- Girls' performance in mathematics has regressed to 1995 inequality levels, a trend exacerbated by the pandemic.
- The gender gap in math, which was narrowing, has reopened significantly.
- The UN has issued an alert due to the importance of these skills for economic and social development.
- The percentage of countries where boys outperform girls in math has risen from 26% in 2003 to 81% in 2023.
- The proportion of nations where girls fail to reach minimum math competency by the end of primary school has increased from 2% in 2015 to 21% currently.
- The pandemic's school closures are identified as a key factor weakening girls' confidence and engagement in math.
- Unesco and the UN propose interventions starting from early school years, including reinforcing girls' confidence through play, continuous monitoring of results by gender, and training teachers to identify and eliminate gender bias.