A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The Gender-Equality Paradox in Intraindividual Academic Strengths: A Cross-Temporal Analysis
Authors: Balducci, Marco; Larose, Marie-Pier; Stoet, Gijsbert; Geary, David C.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Psychological Science
Journal name in source: Psychological science
Journal acronym: Psychol Sci
Volume: 35
Issue: 11
First page : 1246
Last page: 1259
ISSN: 0956-7976
eISSN: 1467-9280
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241271330
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241271330
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/457850656
Independent of overall achievement, girls' intraindividual academic strength is typically reading, whereas boys' strength is typically mathematics or science. Sex differences in intraindividual strengths are associated with educational and occupational sex disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Paradoxically, these sex differences are larger in more gender-equal countries, but the stability of this paradox is debated. We assessed the stability of the gender-equality paradox in intraindividual strengths, and its relation to wealth, by analyzing the academic achievement of nearly 2.5 million adolescents across 85 countries and regions in five waves (from 2006 to 2018) of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Girls' intraindividual strength in reading and boys' strength in mathematics and science were stable across countries and waves. Boys' advantage in science as an intraindividual strength was larger in more gender-equal countries, whereas girls' advantage in reading was larger in wealthier countries. The results have implications for reducing sex disparities in STEM fields.
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Funding information in the publication:
Funding This research was supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Grant No. 00220166).
