ABC News: Girls in Sexist Societies Worse at Math
For decades, researchers and educators have debated why boys tend to perform better than girls in math. Are men naturally more logical creatures and thus better at scientific endeavors? Are girls not encouraged by their families, their friends or society at large to pursue scientific careers?
Researchers in Chicago believe they may have found at least one answer: where girls live. Girls living in countries where there is more gender equality perform better in math, sometimes outpacing boys, than girls who live in countries with more male-dominated societies.
"In societies which are more gender equal, there is a lower gender gap in mathematics," said Paola Sapienza, an associate finance professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School and co-author of the study published Thursday in the journal Science. Also, "there is a much higher gender gap in reading. Girls become much better in reading" in these countries.
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