The Guardian view on gender gaps in education: girls and boys both need attention | Editorial
A new study contradicts received wisdom about underachieving boys. But concerns backed up by evidence should be addressedNew research showing that boys in English schools outperformed girls in maths and science tests offers a corrective to a narrative emphasising the extent to which boys have fallen behind in their learning. The analysis, from the UCL Institute of Education, found that the gender gap in England was the widest in any of the 72 countries where it was measured. Boys in year 9 (age 13-14) overturned a lead by girls in 2019, outperforming them in science tests for the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. One of the authors, Dr Jennie Golding, pointed to boys’ greater confidence in maths as a possible explanation.Recent challenges to the idea that girls are in the ascendant have tended to be based on a longer view and a wider range of information. Men, after all, still earn more than women. Earlier this month, a Women in Work index pointed to the “sluggish” pace of change on the gender pay gap, with the UK slipping behind other countries. Pay and progression in many female-dominated sectors, including early years and social care, remains poor. Continue reading...
A new study contradicts received wisdom about underachieving boys. But concerns backed up by evidence should be addressed
New research showing that boys in English schools outperformed girls in maths and science tests offers a corrective to a narrative emphasising the extent to which boys have fallen behind in their learning. The analysis, from the UCL Institute of Education, found that the gender gap in England was the widest in any of the 72 countries where it was measured. Boys in year 9 (age 13-14) overturned a lead by girls in 2019, outperforming them in science tests for the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. One of the authors, Dr Jennie Golding, pointed to boys’ greater confidence in maths as a possible explanation.
Recent challenges to the idea that girls are in the ascendant have tended to be based on a longer view and a wider range of information. Men, after all, still earn more than women. Earlier this month, a Women in Work index pointed to the “sluggish” pace of change on the gender pay gap, with the UK slipping behind other countries. Pay and progression in many female-dominated sectors, including early years and social care, remains poor. Continue reading...
