How low self-esteem is killing girls’ academic success around the world

The Washington Post | By Danielle Paquette

“Believe in yourself” is not just a bubble-lettered cliché on a third grade teacher’s bulletin board. It’s an economic strategy, new research suggests.

Boosting the confidence of young girls may help close the gender gap in school performance  — and push more skilled workers into the workforce, according to an OECD published Thursday.  “Aptitude knows no gender,” researchers wrote. Data shows girls around the world lag behind boys in math and science, but confidence is a key factor. “The strong relationship among self-beliefs, gender and performance in mathematics and science hints that countries may be unable to develop a sufficient number of individuals with strong mathematics and science skills partly because of girls’ lack of confidence in their abilities,” the study’s authors found. Continue Reading…

Lack of confidence hurts girls in the classroom