Globally, women are increasingly outperforming men in educational attainment, especially in higher education, with more women completing tertiary degrees, though gaps in literacy and learning outcomes persist, particularly in less developed regions where men still sometimes lead in overall education levels, while new issues like boys' learning poverty are emerging. The trend shows women catching up and surpassing men in many areas, reversing historical disadvantages.
Today, 47% of U.S. women ages 25 to 34 have a bachelor's degree, compared with 37% of men.
Men are more likely to be literate on a global average, although higher literacy scores for women are prevalent in many countries. Women are more likely to achieve a tertiary education degree compared to men of the same age.
Research from various countries consistently reported an advantage of boys over girls in general knowledge and was also suggestive of some overall trends regarding specific domains of general knowledge that were speculated to stem from biologically differentiated interests.
Throughout high school and college, female students generally earn better grades than male students and are rated as having better competencies and skills. Better grades in high school lead women to be better prepared for college academics, and therefore more likely to enroll in and complete higher education degrees.
Findings. Although most tests show no sex difference, there are some that do. For example, it has been found that female subjects tend to perform better on tests of verbal abilities and processing speed while males tend to perform better on tests of visual-spatial ability and crystallized intelligence.
The gap between men and women in 2011-2012 was 2 points (75% of men and 73% of women said women are treated with respect), but in 2023-2024, that gap expanded to 22 points (63% vs. 41%).
Among adults, males have slightly higher verbal and reasoning abilities than females and a more pronounced superiority on spatial abilities. If the three abilities are combined to form general intelligence, the mean for males is 4 IQ points higher than the mean for females.
Female students outperformed in critical thinking and writing strategy use than male students. Systematic analysis positively predicted discourse synthesis, evaluation, source use, and planning.
Marilyn Vos Savant is an American author, columnist, and lecturer who gained fame in 1985 when The Guinness Book of World Records listed her as having the highest IQ ever recorded—an astounding 228.
It is widely believed that girls and boys show different aptitudes in key cognitive skills, with girls being better at language and boys at technical subjects like science and maths.
While girls consistently score higher in reading and writing across the assessments, boys tend to perform better on assessments in mathematics and science in the majority of countries in which these tests—and others, such as the PASEQ and SACMEQ and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—are administered.
Education increases economic productivity, improves public health, improves gender equality, and contributes to democracy – education is inherently good and enables societies to progress to collectively resolve social problems.
Women are statistically outperforming men in various categories, but this has not always been the case. For centuries, boys seemingly held the upper hand in various facets of life like academics and careers. However, a shift is underway, with girls increasingly outperforming boys in education and the workforce.
📚 The 10 Most Educated Countries in the World (2025) Based on tertiary education attainment among adults (ages 25–64) As of 2025, Canada leads the world in education, with 63% of its adult population holding a post-secondary qualification — the highest among OECD nations.
Brain Chemistry
In studies examining connections within the brain, it has been found that women tend to have stronger connections side to side, which could lead to better intuitive thinking, analyzing, and drawing of conclusions.
Statistics about women and girls' mental health
Today, women are three times more likely than men to experience common mental health problems.
The first question – how many books do you read a year? – shows that on average women read more books than men . This is a pattern .
It was found that women are more indecisive than men. Furthermore, indecisiveness correlated positively with several obsessive–compulsive complaints (e.g., checking and rumination), but negatively with life satisfaction.
Among adults, males have slightly higher verbal and reasoning abilities than females and a more pronounced superiority on spatial abilities. If the three abilities are combined to form general intelligence, the mean for males is 4 IQ points higher than the mean for females.
The authors conclude that brains of women and men are not dimorphic and not categorically different, as are the genital systems of the two genders, but resemble more an overlapping mosaic of specific functional regions and therefore cannot be distinguished as male and female brains.
Jealousy is an emotion reflecting weakness and desperation. Females are predominately associated with emotion, which may be why they are thought of as being more jealous than males. Males are generally associated with tougher forms of emotion, such as anger.
Women tend to live longer than men. In 2021, this difference amounted to a 5-year gap in global life expectancy: the average life expectancy was 73.8 years for women versus 68.4 years for men.
Furthermore, the data confirm common gender differences, i.e., women are significantly more honest than men.