What the researchers found instead, was that math results tended to be low across both genders in countries where there exists greater gender inequality. And the converse was true, too.
"We found that boys—as well as girls—tend to do better in math when raised in countries where females have better equality, and that's new and important," says Kane. "It makes sense that when women are well-educated and earn a good income, the math scores of their children of both genders benefit."
Mertz added that where math is concerned, gender equity benefited both males and females, improving their skills in a "win-win situation."
Want your daughter to do better at math? Then build her confidence. You heard it straight from the mathematician's mouth: gender has no bearing on number crunching.
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