A Study on How Single-Sex Education Can Influence Girls’ Performance in STEM Subjects Across Diverse Socioeconomic Contexts: Empirical Evidence from New Zealand
According to the World Economic Forum, the gender gap in occupations—particularly the male dominance in well-paid STEM careers—is a key factor in the wage inequality between men and women. However, female underrepresentation in STEM fields is less pronounced, or even reversed, in some Eastern European and Islamic countries, suggesting that cultural factors play a significant role.
One of the cultural practices highlighted is single-sex education. However, this model remains controversial: critics argue that there is a lack of solid evidence supporting it and that separating students by sex can reinforce sexism and hinder the development of social skills.
New Zealand provides a unique opportunity to study single-sex education, as approximately 14.43% of girls and 14.35% of boys attend non-coeducational secondary schools. Unlike in the United States and Australia—where this type of education is mainly offered in private or religious schools—the majority of single-sex schools in New Zealand are public.
Using data from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), our analysis shows that girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds and boys from high socioeconomic backgrounds who attend single-sex schools perform significantly better in mathematics and science than their peers in coeducational schools. These gains are particularly striking among socioeconomically disadvantaged girls.
These findings suggest that there may be protective factors in New Zealand’s single-sex schools that help foster academic success in STEM subjects. We examine two possible explanations: (1) a reduced influence of gender socialization practices and stereotype threat, and (2) explicit messaging that challenges stereotypes and empowers girls to actively engage in STEM disciplines.
Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40841-024-00320-y
