– Gender differences in STEM education participation at the expense of girls are already visible in early childhood care and education (ECCE) and become more visible at higher levels of education.
– Girls appear to lose interest in STEM subjects with age.
– Lower levels of participation are already seen in advanced studies at secondary level.
-By higher education, women represent only 35% of all students enrolled in STEM-related fields of study.
– In middle- to high-income countries for which trend data are available, data gaps to girls’ disadvantage are closing, particularly in science.
– In few countries where girls do better than boys on curriculum-based assessments, their score difference can be up to three times higher than when boys do better.
– Girls outperform boys in many countries in Asia, while the score difference between boys and girls in
science achievement is particularly strong in the Arab States, with girls significantly outperforming boys.
– More countries demonstrate gender differences to boys’ advantage in mathematics achievement, with boys’ score differentials as compared to those of girls often increasing between early and late primary education.
– Girls are particularly disadvantaged in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.
– Boys performed better in two-thirds of the 70 countries measuring applied learning in math at age 15.
– Research on biological factors, including brain structure and development, genetics, neuroscience and hormones, shows that the gender gap in STEM is not the result of sex differences in these factors or in innate ability.
– Rather, findings suggest that learning is underpinned by neuro-plasticity, the capacity of the brain to expand and form new connections, and that education performance, including in STEM subjects, is influenced by experience and can be improved through targeted interventions.
– Spatial and language skills, especially written language, are positively correlated with performance in mathematics and can be improved with practice, irrespective of sex, especially during the earlier years of life.
– Girls’ disadvantage in STEM is the result of the interaction of a range of factors embedded in both the socialisation and learning processes. These include social, cultural and gender norms which influence the way girls and boys are brought up, learn and interact with parents, family, friends, teachers and the wider community, and which shape their identity, beliefs, behaviour and choices.
– Girls’ self-efficacy and attitudes related to STEM are strongly influenced by their immediate family
environment, especially parents, but also the wider social context.
– Girls’ self-efficacy and interest in STEM can be increased through supportive learning environments, real-world learning opportunities, hands-on activities, and mentoring.