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Male–female achievement variance comparisons are not robust

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  • Domicolo, Carly
  • Nielsen, Eric

Abstract

Males have greater variability in achievement than females in almost all countries using internationally comparable test scores. However, these variance comparisons can frequently be reversed using economically plausible, order-preserving rescalings of the psychometrically derived test scores. The oft-cited “Greater Male Variability Hypothesis” for achievement may be a psychometric artifact.

Suggested Citation

  • Domicolo, Carly & Nielsen, Eric, 2022. "Male–female achievement variance comparisons are not robust," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:220:y:2022:i:c:s0165176522003275
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110853
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Timothy N. Bond & Kevin Lang, 2013. "The Evolution of the Black-White Test Score Gap in Grades K–3: The Fragility of Results," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(5), pages 1468-1479, December.
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    5. Flavio Cunha & Eric Nielsen & Benjamin Williams, 2021. "The Econometrics of Early Childhood Human Capital and Investments," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 13(1), pages 487-513, August.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human capital; Variance hypothesis; Gender differences; Achievement; Inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J - Labor and Demographic Economics
    • J - Labor and Demographic Economics
    • I - Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I - Health, Education, and Welfare

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