Math and the Gender Divide: When Girls Begin Falling Behind

-

Analysis of almost three million children captures when ‘mathematical gender gap’ first emerges and could help focus efforts to stop girls from falling behind.

The moment a girl steps into a classroom should be the moment she begins to shine—not fall behind. Bridging the gender gap in math starts with early, empowering support.
Photo by ThisisEngineering on Unsplash

Closing the Math Gap: How Early Support Can Empower Every Girl

A groundbreaking study of nearly three million children in France has uncovered something both surprising and hopeful: girls don’t start out behind in math—they fall behind during their very first year of school. At the start, boys and girls perform equally well. But by year’s end, a gap appears. The good news? That means it’s not ability that holds girls back—it’s something we can change.

This isn’t a story of limits. It’s a call to action. The study suggests that early classroom environments, subtle expectations, and even math anxiety may play roles in shaping girls’ confidence. And that’s where real change begins.

If we provide young girls with equal encouragement, hands-on problem-solving experiences, and teachers trained to support every learner, the gap can close—before it ever opens. Schools that foster curiosity over competition, and joy over pressure, are key to unlocking every child’s full potential.

Girls are brilliant at math. They just need the space to shine. With intentional support in that first school year, we can build classrooms where every child thrives—equally.

The future is bright, and full of possibilities. Let’s help all our children count on themselves—and their potential.

Main article published in: Nature (https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01831-4)
Authored by: Arya Bandyopadhyay
Main article authored by: Celeste Biever

Comments

Post a Comment

Please comment on this blog-

Popular posts from this blog

What would it be like if your neurons could regenerate?

-
Image
  What If Neurons Could Regenerate? Imagine a world where your brain could heal and renew itself like your skin or liver. How would that change your life? Would you still be the same person, or would you evolve into someone entirely different? Let’s dive into this mind-bending idea together. The top image shows fluorescently labeled cells in the spinal cord of a zebrafish recovering one week after an injury, and the bottom image shows recovery four weeks after an injury. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis describe the dramatic changes within nerve cells that make regeneration possible. Such findings could inspire the development of new therapies for spinal cord injuries in people. (Image: Mokalled lab) A New Era for Memory and Learning Think about the last time you struggled to remember something important. What if your brain had the ability to replace lost or damaged neurons? Learning could become faster and more efficient, making knowledge ret...
Read more

Your friends shape your microbiome — and so do their friends

-
Image
Analysis of nearly 2,000 people living in remote villages in Honduras reveals who’s spreading gut microorganisms to whom. Friends share more than just food when they dine together.Credit: Getty A shared meal, a kiss on the cheek: these social acts bring people together — and bring their microbiomes together, too. The more people interact, the more similar the make-up of their gut microorganisms is, even if individuals don’t live in the same household, a study1 shows. The study also found that a person’s microbiome is shaped not only by their social contacts but also by the social contacts’ connections. The work is one of several studies2 that raise the possibility that health conditions can be shaped by the transmission of the microbiome between individuals, not just by diet and other environmental factors that affect gut flora. In the quest to understand what shapes a person’s microbiome, social interactions are “definitely a piece of the puzzle that I think has been missing until rec...
Read more

Mind Meets Body: Unlocking Secrets of Brain-Body Communication for a Healthier You

-
Image
Mind Meets Body: Unlocking the Secrets of Brain–Body Communication By Arya Bandyopadhyay | Exploring the Mind–Body Code Your body and brain are in constant dialogue. Far from being a one-way system, this relationship is dynamic and bidirectional—your brain listens, learns, and rewires itself based on feedback from the body. Understanding this intricate network opens doors to rethinking health, emotion, and disease. 1. The Brain Listens: Vagus Nerve & Organ Signals Illustration of the vagus nerve, highlighting its pathway and connection to vital organs, influencing the autonomic nervous system. Image Credits: advancedbrain.com Signals from organs like the gut and lungs reach the brain via the  vagus nerve . These inputs affect everything from immunity to emotion. Gut microbes, for example, help produce neurotransmitters that affect your mood. “Your second brain—the gut—has more power than you think.” 2. Stress: Friend and Foe Stress activates the  HPA axis  (Hypothalam...
Read more