Gender gap in maths emerges as early as primary school, study finds

By Jheruleene Anne Ramos

A long-standing stereotype suggests that boys outperform girls in mathematics, and a new French study has shown that a gender gap emerges as early as the first year of school.

The study, titled “Rapid Emergence of a Maths Gender Gap in First Grade” and published in Nature in June, found that boys began outperforming their female peers in maths just four months into primary school, Wissenschaft.de reported.

Researchers observed that the gap continued to widen throughout the school year and became four times larger after 12 months across all types of schools and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The findings, based on data from 2.65 million French children aged five to seven in first and second grade between 2018 and 2022, came from tests assessing digit recognition, counting, number comparison, number line skills, problem-solving, arithmetic, and geometry.

However, the research team led by Pauline Martinot from Universite Paris Cite found no difference in boys’ and girls’ math abilities at the beginning of the school year, suggesting that the emerging gap is not due to natural differences in ability.

Stereotypes, bias play key role

The lack of significant differences in the mathematical abilities of boys and girls is a clear indication that boys have no “inherent advantages” when it comes to capability or interest.

Instead, researchers noted that teachers may unconsciously favour boys in formal maths settings, possibly due to the widespread stereotype that boys are better at maths and science.

This bias is often reinforced both at school and at home, which may affect girls’ performance – especially in timed, competitive tests – and gradually undermine their confidence in maths.

Professor Jodie Hunter from Massey University’s Institute of Education commented that the findings align with previous studies on “brilliance bias”, a tendency to associate genius with males.

Hunter said that earlier studies have proven that people widely believe that doing well in subjects like mathematics, physics, and other sciences is about “having natural talent or being innately brilliant”.

“They begin to associate success in mathematics and science subjects with certain groups. Unfortunately, those groups often don’t include girls or students from marginalised communities,” she said, as quoted by Science Media Exchange.

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Girls show more maths anxiety

The study also found that girls tend to have higher anxiety about maths than boys, which can negatively affect performance.

Children’s early classroom experiences shape their confidence, with those who feel capable of solving complex problems developing strong self-belief in maths, while others may experience anxiety and avoid maths-related tasks.

This trend is reflected in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment results, which found that boys, on average, had higher mathematical self-efficacy as they were more confident in their abilities and more likely to enjoy maths, SWR reported.

Students with high self-efficacy are more willing to embrace challenges and persist despite difficulties, while those with low self-confidence tend to avoid tasks, experience anxiety, and underperform.

Boys also generally display a “more positive attitude” toward maths compared to girls and are more likely to cite maths as their favourite subject.

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Steps to reducing the gap

Researchers urged educators and parents to support girls by fostering confidence and encouraging problem-solving.

This could include assigning tasks that stimulate curiosity and creativity, help boost self-efficacy, and challenge gender stereotypes about maths abilities.

They further stressed that gender bias exists not only in schools and families but across broader society, and addressing it requires cultural change to reshape attitudes and dismantle long-standing stereotypes.

The researchers believe that with early intervention, the gender gap in maths performance can be prevented, as mathematical ability exists equally in both genders and just needs to be nurtured.

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