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Global Secondary Academic Preparation

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) studies gender equality in the areas of education, employment, and entrepreneurship. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment that evaluates educational systems of countries all over the world. The PISA assessments and surveys occur once every three years and are meant to assess 15 year-old students on their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics, reading, collaborative problem solving, and financial literacy. The most recent PISA assessment occurred in 2018, and most countries that participate in PISA are also OECD members. PISA mathematics, science, and reading performances also serve as OECD Education indicators. The OECD (2019a) found that on average, across countries that are members of OECD, boys’ mean score in math was higher than girls’ mean score by about five points. Yet, in science, girls’ mean score in science was slightly higher than boys’ mean score by two points.

PISA science performance
OECD (2019), PISA 2018 Results (Volume I): What Students Know and Can Do.
PISA math performance
OECD (2019), PISA 2018 Results (Volume I): What Students Know and Can Do.

Additional Resources