Study finds girls outscore boys inmaths, links difference to context

Bengaluru: Gender does not significantly influence mathematical ability but girls outperformed boys in maths, said a study conducted by Prayoga Institute of Education Research.The not-for-profit organisation conducted the mathematics prerequisite baseline assessment recently, covering 2,023 class 6 students from govt and rural schools across the state. The students were tested on five dimensions of learning: numeracy, fractions, pattern recognition, time and simplification.
As per the findings, girls performed across all five mathematical dimensions with a consistent but modest overall advantage. On average, girls scored 0.55 marks higher. Girls demonstrated slightly stronger performance in numeracy, pattern recognition and simplification. In areas such as fractions and time, performance between genders was nearly identical.The study outcome is in line with SSLC results in the state. In SSLC-1 2025, 81% of girls passed the maths exam, as against 69% of boys."The study suggests that the difference is not biological but contextual. Girls in the sampled govt and rural schools may be benefiting from consistent classroom engagement, regular attendance, disciplined study habits, and steady participation in foundational learning activities. Importantly, the assessment focused on prerequisite skills rather than speed or competition, which may better reflect conceptual understanding—an area where girls showed steady strength across domains," said Karuna Simha, senior researcher, education research team, Prayoga.The evidence directly contradicts the long-standing stereotype, she pointed out. "This study reinforces the idea that perceived gender differences in mathematics are shaped more by social beliefs and learning environments than by actual ability," she added.The study further says that local learning conditions play a far greater role in mathematical outcomes than gender, as there were clear differences in performance across districts.At the higher end of the performance spectrum were districts such as Mysuru, Kumta–Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru, which recorded average scores above 18 out of 25. Students here showed stronger foundational understanding across multiple domains, indicating more consistent exposure to effective teaching and conceptual learning practices.The middle-performing group includes districts such as Bangalore Rural, along with Ramanagara, Chikkaballapura, Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Hassan and Udupi. Among the worst performers were Mandya and Bengaluru South. "Students in these districts faced challenges across several foundational areas, especially time, pattern recognition and fractions, pointing to the need for focused instructional support and strengthened foundational learning interventions," the study said.In the last SSLC, some of the best performers were Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shivamogga, Hassan districts while Kalaburagi and Yadgir were at the bottom of the table.