Here are the key points regarding gender differences in educational attainment:
- Historically, from the 1960s through the mid-1980s, boys generally outperformed girls in educational achievement across all levels, with the exception of performance at age 11.
- This was often cited as evidence that girls were less intelligent than boys. However, this view has been challenged.
- Since the mid-1980s, girls have begun to outperform boys at most levels of education. Girls now leave school with better exam results than boys and are more likely to go to university.
- Girls get higher grades than boys at GCSE, A-level, and degree level. They also have higher rates of staying in full-time