South African girls outperform boys in school as gender gap widens

South African schoolgirls are outperforming their male peers at almost every level of education and the statistics highlighting this trend are both shocking and sobering. Girls are constantly moving forward, while boys are increasingly becoming isolated, falling out and being left behind.

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Why are girls outperforming boys in South African schools?

The gender gap in South African education does not start in high school. According to Daily Maverick, girls in South African primary schools outperform boys in both mathematics and reading. This is a particularly notable finding, given that globally boys outperform girls in mathematics.

Data from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies (tims) 2023, shows that South African girls outperformed boys by an average of 29 points in mathematics and 49 points in reading in the Progress in International Reading Study in 2021.

Of the 58 countries participating in TIMS at the primary level, in 40 countries boys significantly outperformed girls and in 17 there was no achievement gap. South Africa was the only country where girls significantly outperformed boys in mathematics.

Is the matriculation gender gap a cause for concern?

At the matriculation level, the divide is equally clear. According to IOL, 56% of matriculation candidates in South Africa are now girls, while 44% are boys. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube expressed concern over the trend and warned that boys were increasingly being marginalized in the education system.

Minister Gwarube also cautioned that boys who leave school early are particularly vulnerable to social ills, including recruitment into gangs. The strong representation of girls is partly attributed to protective measures such as the removal of pregnancy as a barrier to education.

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What does international research say about the gender gap in education?

Girls are outperforming boys at all levels of education, from kindergarten to college, according to Forbes Findings from the University of Cambridge. The study, based on UK data, found that gender differences existed from the earliest to the latest stages of education.

Researcher Matthew Carroll said the most notable pattern was the consistency of these intervals across all phases. It was assessed that girls met expectations on average eight to 14% higher than boys across all areas of learning. The only subject where boys consistently performed better was mathematics, and even then, only at the highest levels of achievement.

What should happen next?

Whether driven by cultural factors or differences in support structures, boys' poor performance requires serious investigation and targeted intervention. Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chilone said most boys drop out later in their school careers. Chiloen said it caused a loss of about 22%.

He shared, “It's about retention. It's about engagement. It's about keeping youth in the system longer for the value of their talent. This requires immediate, targeted intervention and we will accelerate our work in this regard.”

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