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A new study reveals that sex differences in academic strengths are found throughout the world and girls' relative advantage in reading and boys' in science is largest in gender-equal countries.

Gender equality often draws attention especially in fields where women are underrepresented, such as high-status, high-paying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers.

Academic strengths, or a student's best subject, strongly influence their field of study. Students with strengths in mathematics or science gravitate toward STEM fields, while those with a strength in reading gravitate toward other fields (e.g., journalism).

The research team analyzed data from nearly 2.5 million adolescents in 85 countries over 12 years or in five waves (2006–2018) from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Their findings confirmed that girls' strength is typically reading, while boys' is typically mathematics or science. These patterns are found both across countries and time.

The findings are published in the journal Psychological Science.

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