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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : September 21, 2018 5:20 PM IST
Girls are better than boys in terms of reading and writing © Shutterstock
A lot has been written about the fact that boys perform better than girls at math. But according to a new study, girls are a better performer when it comes to reading and writing. As per as the data more than three million American students reports that girls outperform boys in writing and reading skills in 4th grade, and that gap increases over the next 8 years of schooling.
According to the Pacific Standard report, the gender gap in writing ability is far larger than for reading, which is highly problematic given how essential writing skills are for college success.
The lead author, David Reilly, a psychologist at Griffith University in Australia reportedly said that it appears that the gender gap has been greatly underestimated. The common thinking is that boys and girls in grade school start with the same cognitive ability, but this research suggests otherwise.
The study, in the journal American Psychologist, analyzes data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress covering the years 1988 to 2015 for reading, and 1998 to 2011 for writing. The researchers focused on tests taken in fourth grade, eighth grade, and 12th grade.
The researchers of the study found that gender differences in reading and writing achievement were found across all levels of the ability spectrum. Girls outperformed boys in mean reading and writing achievement, and these gender differences do not appear to be declining.
However, these findings cannot explain whether these differences are based on biology or socialization. But they are clearly troublesome. The way our economy is growing, well-paying jobs will likely require first-rate reading and writing skills. And somehow if men cannot master them, then girl's economic futures are far from bright.
