A silent inequality: how does entry to CP widen the math gap between girls and boys?
Paris, June 2025 - A major scientific study published in Nature overturns preconceived ideas about gender differences in mathematics. Carried out on nearly 3 million children attending school in France between 2018 and 2022, it reveals an unexpected finding: no gap between girls and boys in mathematics at the start of CP, but inequalities that appear from the very first months of schooling - and rapidly widen.
A switchover from the first months of school
Coordinated by Prof. Stanislas Dehaene (Collège de France) and Dr. Pauline Martinot (Inserm), this research shows that entry into elementary school is the tipping point at which gender inequalities in mathematics emerge. Contrary to popular belief, it is not age, biology or the slow imprinting of social stereotypes that explain this divergence, but rather the start of formal mathematics teaching.
"As early as four months after the start of CP, boys are significantly over-represented among the top 5% of maths students" - Dr Pauline Martinot
Fast-paced, systemic dynamics
The researchers compared national data from standardized assessments carried out at the start and middle of CP, as well as at the start of CE1, over four consecutive years. The observed effect is widespread: it affects all départements, all social backgrounds, and all types of schools. It is even more pronounced among girls from advantaged families, which raises questions about the influence of the educational context.
Interestingly, the study shows that language skills do not follow the same trajectory. Girls maintain a consistent advantage in this area, whatever their socio-economic background, and this advantage does not disappear with school entry. This underlines the specific and worrying nature of the rapid emergence of inequalities in mathematics.
A wake-up call for education policies
The results underline the importance of rethinking pedagogical practices from CP onwards. The year of the Covid-19 pandemic, marked by reduced school enrolment, saw a decrease in the gap between girls and boys, suggesting that school, in its current form, may unwittingly reinforce certain inequalities.
At the Institut Robert Debré du Cerveau de l'Enfant, researchers insist on the need to act quickly:
- by building robust cognitive models,
- by objectively evaluating teaching practices,
- and developing innovative approaches to reduce cultural or implicit biases.
Finally, the study reminds us that responsibility for these inequalities is not individual, but systemic and collective. By identifying the point at which gaps emerge, it provides a valuable lever for action to guarantee equal opportunities from the very first steps at school.
Reference study: https: //www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09126-4
