Myth: "Girls Are Just Worse at Math"
One review pooled 242 studies of math results (Lindberg and colleagues, 2010). On average, boys and girls did about the same in math. For dyscalculia, the studies we hold give no single answer on boys and girls. Each finding is about a group of children, not one child.
TL;DR
- One review pooled 242 studies of math results (Lindberg and colleagues, 2010). On average, boys and girls did about the same in math. That review is about averages, not about math difficulty.
- For dyscalculia, the studies we hold give no single answer on boys and girls. One study tested 1,004 primary-school children in Britain (Devine and colleagues, 2013). With fixed cut-offs, girls and boys were counted at the same rate. A difference showed up only when math was compared with reading. In that study, the answer depended on how dyscalculia was counted. That was one sample. One study screened 691 fifth and sixth graders in one part of Spain (Loredo and colleagues, 2025). In that study, girls were more often at risk for dyscalculia than boys. Risk meant a low score on a screening cut-off, not a diagnosis.
- One study followed 17 first- and second-grade teachers and 117 children for a school year (Beilock and colleagues, 2010). With a more anxious teacher, girls more often agreed that boys are good at math. The girls who agreed scored lower in math by the end of the year. That was one small study in one part of the US. It found a link, not a cause.
- No study we hold predicts one child's math from being a boy or a girl. Each finding on this page is about a group of children, not one child.
- In our view, the next step is the same for boys and girls. That step is to work out what is hard. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Dyscalculia describes lasting difficulty with number and calculation, out of step with the rest of a child's learning. In our view, the word tells you what is hard more than why.
”DyscalculiaWhat a review of 242 studies found
One review pooled 242 studies of math results (Lindberg and colleagues, 2010). On average, boys and girls did about the same in math. Their scores were spread out about the same, too. That review is about averages, not about math difficulty. We could read only its summary.
To us, that review answers the myth. On average, girls did about as well as boys in math.
Counting dyscalculia in girls and boys
The studies we hold give no single answer on boys and girls.
One study tested 1,004 primary-school children in Britain (Devine and colleagues, 2013). It counted dyscalculia in more than one way. With fixed cut-offs, girls and boys were counted at the same rate. A difference showed up only when math was compared with reading. In that study, the answer depended on how dyscalculia was counted. That was one sample. We could read only its summary.
One study screened 691 fifth and sixth graders in one part of Spain (Loredo and colleagues, 2025). In that study, girls were more often at risk for dyscalculia than boys. Risk meant a low score on a screening cut-off, not a diagnosis.
Each finding on this page is about a group of children, not one child.
Teachers' math anxiety and girls' beliefs
One study followed 17 first- and second-grade teachers and 117 children for a school year (Beilock and colleagues, 2010). Teachers differed in how anxious they were about math. With a more anxious teacher, girls more often agreed that boys are good at math. The girls who agreed scored lower in math by the end of the year. This pattern was found in girls, not in boys. It was one small study in one part of the US. It found a link, not a cause.
What this means for your child
No study we hold predicts one child's math from being a boy or a girl.
In our view, the next step is the same for boys and girls. That step is to work out what is hard. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Keep teaching the math while you work out what is hard.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Math well below your child's other schoolwork.
- A teacher who raises a concern about math.
- Extreme upset about math.
- Complete avoidance of math.
- Worry about math that spreads into the rest of learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
In our view, expect the same math of girls and boys.
One sentence for an email home: "She is working hard on subtraction with borrowing. What do you see in class?"
Key Takeaways
One review pooled 242 studies of math results (Lindberg and colleagues, 2010). On average, boys and girls did about the same in math. That review is about averages, not about math difficulty.
For dyscalculia, the studies we hold give no single answer on boys and girls.
No study we hold predicts one child's math from being a boy or a girl.
In our view, the next step is the same for boys and girls.
Keep teaching the math while you work out what is hard.
Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Pick one math question your child found hard this week. Ask them to show you how they did it. Write down the step where it went wrong. If no skill has gone, take your note to the teacher.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
What sits underneath arithmetic, one skill at a time, worked alongside math instruction, not in place of it.
Common questions from parents
Are boys better at math than girls?
One review pooled 242 studies of math results (Lindberg and colleagues, 2010). On average, boys and girls did about the same in math. Their scores were spread out about the same, too. That review is about averages, not about math difficulty. We could read only its summary. No study we hold predicts one child's math from being a boy or a girl.
Is dyscalculia more common in boys?
For dyscalculia, the studies we hold give no single answer on boys and girls. One study tested 1,004 primary-school children in Britain (Devine and colleagues, 2013). With fixed cut-offs, girls and boys were counted at the same rate. A difference showed up only when math was compared with reading. In that study, the answer depended on how dyscalculia was counted. That was one sample. One study screened 691 fifth and sixth graders in one part of Spain (Loredo and colleagues, 2025). In that study, girls were more often at risk for dyscalculia than boys. Risk meant a low score on a screening cut-off, not a diagnosis.
Does being a girl make my child more likely to struggle with math?
No study we hold predicts one child's math from being a boy or a girl. Each finding on this page is about a group of children, not one child. In our view, the next step is the same for boys and girls. That step is to work out what is hard. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.