Pandemic Eroded Girls' Math Progress, Global Study Reveals
Global math scores for girls are falling behind boys at an alarming rate, reversing a decade of progress toward gender equity, according to a major international study released last week.
Fourth-grade boys now outperform girls in the vast majority of countries surveyed, with the gap widening significantly since 2019, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows. Among eighth-graders, the rate of boys scoring higher than girls has increased exponentially, erasing earlier gains.
“Prior data showed girls were catching up with boys in math achievement. But in the latest data, we see that the gap is widening again between girls and boys, and that's at the detriment of girls, which is quite concerning,” said Matthias Eck, a program specialist at UNESCO’s Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality and a co-author of the report.
The findings echo trends seen in the United States last year, where the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — known as the Nation's Report Card — also showed a widening gender gap in math.
Background
The TIMSS assessment is conducted every four years by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) in partnership with UNESCO. It measures math and science performance among fourth- and eighth-grade students worldwide.
The 2023 data is the first set of TIMSS results since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education globally. Researchers found that in 85% of participating countries, top-performing fourth-grade students were predominantly boys.
Among eighth-graders, slightly more than half of countries and territories reported an advanced math achievement gap favoring boys. No country or territory showed a gap favoring girls in either grade.
Eck noted a correlation between prolonged school closures and greater learning loss in math, particularly for girls. “One of the hypotheses is really that those disruptions during the pandemic may have exacerbated existing disparities and have reduced learning opportunities for girls,” he explained.
He suggested that extended time away from school might have damaged girls' confidence in math, though he stressed that remains a hypothesis.
The report also reveals a rise in the number of regions where fourth-grade girls fail to reach even basic math proficiency. While the gender gap in underperformance among eighth-graders is narrowing, the percentage of countries where girls have a higher failure rate has spiked.
Researchers urge caution in drawing causal conclusions but acknowledge the pattern is deeply troubling for global education equity.
What This Means
The reversal of math gains for girls threatens long-term progress in gender equality. If left unaddressed, the widening gap could affect girls’ future opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where math proficiency is a gatekeeper.
Policymakers must prioritize targeted interventions — such as extra tutoring, confidence-building programs, and safe learning environments — to reverse the trend. The report underscores the need for continued monitoring of gender disparities in education as the world recovers from the pandemic.
Without urgent action, the promise of math equity for the next generation of girls may remain unfulfilled.
This article is based on data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and analysis by UNESCO and the IEA.