Boys are not innately better at maths than girls, and any
difference in test scores is due to nurture rather than nature,
researchers suggested today. According to new research published
in the journal Science, the "gender gap" in maths, long
perceived to exist between girls and boys, disappears in
societies that treat both sexes equally. When girls have equal
access to education and other opportunities they do just as well
as boys in maths tests. The research, led by Prof Paola Sapienza
of Northwestern University in the US, investigated whether a
global gender gap exists and whether it was the result of social
engineering rather than intrinsic aptitude for the subject. "The
so-called gender gap in math skills seems to be at least
partially correlated to environmental factors," Sapienza said.
"The gap doesn't exist in countries in which men and women have
access to similar resources and opportunities." Researchers
analysed data from more than 276,000 children in 40 countries
who took the 2003 Organisation for