Swedish girls are performing worse in school

For a long time, girls performed better than boys in school, but now the differences seem to be leveling out as girls’ school results decline and for the first time, boys are better in mathematics. This is shown in a report from the Swedish National Agency for Education.

In grade nine, the difference in grades between the genders has never been so small, and the same pattern exists for grade six and high school. The trend of boys performing better is also evident in other EU and OECD countries.

However, the equalization is mainly due to the fact that girls have become worse, and now the difference between the genders is barely one percent in terms of eligibility for a national program in high school.

Above all, it is mathematics in which girls are performing increasingly poorly.

– There are clear differences between the genders when it comes to attitudes towards mathematics. Girls are less positive than boys about learning mathematics and have less confidence in the subject, says Sanna Vent, a senior education administrator at the Swedish National Agency for Education.

Swedish girls

According to the Swedish National Agency for Education’s figures, it is primarily Swedish girls who have worsened their results, while students with a foreign background are increasing their results for both genders, as well as eligibility for high school.

– We see a worrying trend among girls with a Swedish background, regardless of the socioeconomic area in which their school is located. We need to continue monitoring this development, says Sanna Vent.

It is believed that there are several reasons for this development: Girls are less happy and feel less secure, girls are more stressed and feel worse, girls feel they receive less support, girls have less confidence in mathematics, girls use social media to a greater extent than boys, and the pandemic was more noticeable for girls.

– We take seriously the fact that there is a negative development among girls in several factors related to school results, including school-related stress and well-being. We also view with concern the differences between girls and boys in terms of access to special support, says Sanna Vent.