Work

Sex differences in variability: Evidence from math and reading assessment in Italy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A meta-analytical approach was used to test the greater male variability hypothesis using the mathematics and reading performance of more than 26 million Italian children across second, fifth, and eighth-grade. In keeping with the hypothesis, boys were more variable than girls in mathematics performance especially in more developed geographic regions with larger sex differences. However, there was no clear pattern for sex differences in variability in reading performance, although there was a trend for boys to be more variable in regions with larger sex differences, favoring girls. These results provide a robust test of the greater male variability hypothesis and suggest that it is not a ubiquitous phenomenon but rather varies across traits.

Source: Personality and Individual Differences

DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2025.113410

Authors: Lorenzo Esposito, David Giofrè, Enrico Toffalini, David C. Geary

Institutions: University of Genoa, University of Padua, University of Missouri

Language: English

Topic: Education, Achievement, and Giftedness

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,170