Sex Differences in the Right Tail of Cognitive Abilities: An Update and Cross-Cultural Extension

• In Event: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Gifted Learners

Abstract

Male–female ability differences in the extreme right tail (top 1%) have been widely discussed for their role in achievement and occupational differences. The present study provides updated male–female ability ratios from 320,000 7th grade students in the right tail (top 5%) from 2011-2015 using measures of math, verbal, and writing ability and science reasoning. Additionally, the present study establishes male-female ability ratios in a sample of over 7,000 7th grade students in India. Results indicate that ratios in the extreme right tail of math ability have shrunk in the last five years (still favoring males) and grown in the verbal domain (still favoring females). Similar patterns of male-female ability differences were found in the Indian sample.

Authors

• Matthew C. Makel, Duke University

• Jon Wai, Duke University

• Kristen Peairs, Duke University

• Martha Putallaz, Duke University