Girls are apparently less interested in math and science than boys in Japan.

This was one takeaway from a 2023 international survey that measured basic academic skills of elementary and junior high school students.

The same sentiment has been observed in past surveys, but is there a specific cause for the trend?

ADULTS' RESPONSIBILITY

When elementary school fourth-graders were asked if "studying math is fun," for example, 75.6 percent of boys responded that they "strongly agree" or "agree" compared to 65.5 percent of girls who shared the opinion.

The question was part of the recently released 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which assessed students in their fourth and eighth years of schooling.

The survey is conducted every four years with 65 countries and regions taking part in the latest one. 

There was also a gender gap observed among junior high school second-year students who were posed the same question, with 66.2 percent of boys agreeing or strongly agreeing relative to 53.1 percent of girls. The same was true for science.

Regarding their future vocation, 30.4 percent of junior high school second-year boys answered they “want to have a career that involves using mathematics,” while only 14.2 percent of girls in their grade said the same. The corresponding science question had a similar outcome.

The results concerning students' opinions are solely based on domestic figures and cannot be compared with those overseas. However, this difference was seen in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's triennial Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The education ministry's annual national achievement test also supported the trend.

“There may be an unconscious bias in schools that girls are worse at science and math, and this may be affecting children’s perception,” an education ministry official said. 

In 2022, the Tokyo metropolitan government polled approximately 10,000 children in the fifth and sixth grade at public elementary schools. The survey was conducted in cooperation with the Tokyo-based Unconscious Bias Laboratory, a nonprofit organization that does perception building activities at schools. 

Of the 6,622 students who responded, 37.5 percent thought they “were good or bad at certain subjects depending on their gender.”

“I sometimes hear adults say things like, 'as expected of boys,' not only in science and math studies,” said Hiroko Ota, director at the Unconscious Bias Laboratory. “It is possible that this is unknowingly imprinted on children.”

Baseless assumptions like this can hinder individual talent and career aspirations. To prevent this, Ota points out that it is necessary for the adults around children to get into the habit of seeing children as individuals.

“It is important to find a way to treat each child in a way that is appropriate for him or her,” she said. 

'WHY ONLY GIRLS?'

The importance of proactive efforts to increase interest among girls in math and science was also pointed out.

“Girls' low interest in science is not sufficiently recognized as a problem at schools,” said an official of the Yamada Shintaro D & I Foundation.

Also located in Tokyo, the foundation provides scholarships and other support to high school girls who wish to pursue science in higher education.

When the foundation proposed an initiative for increasing girls' interest in science at coed schools, many teachers expressed feelings of resistance, saying, “Why only girls?”

Even so, the official said, “It is clear from various surveys that there is a gender gap in terms of interest. It is also necessary to make efforts specifically for girls.”

The foundation aims to expand its work experience program to include sixth-graders for the first time. It was originally designed to cater to junior high and high school students.

“We felt that we needed to intervene at an earlier stage,” the official said, based on the results of the latest TIMSS survey indicating a difference in perception from the fourth grade.

In this year’s TIMSS survey, Japanese boys scored six to 14 points higher than girls on average in all grades and subjects. On the other hand, the international average of TIMSS was different, with girls scoring higher in fourth grade and second year science.

However, in the previous TIMSS survey conducted in fiscal 2019, Japanese girls also scored higher in fourth grade math and science than boys. There was also almost no difference in scores by gender in the national achievement test and Japan's PISA results.

“We are not sure why, but if the gap is widening, it is a problem. We need to pay attention to it," said an education ministry official.

(This article was written by Honomi Homma and Kohei Kano.)