Researchers discovered that parents talk about maths with their infant males more than they do with their baby girls. According to Harvard Graduate School of Education researchers, baby males hear more about numbers and arithmetic ideas than baby girls.

The findings were published recently in the journal Infant and Child Development.

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The authors discovered that during a 15-minute play session, parents employed an average of four maths concept terms. While the use of these phrases grew as the newborns aged, the rise was greater in baby males.

«I think it’s just something to be aware of, especially for parents of girls,» said Meredith Rowe, co-author of the study and a professor of early learning and development at Harvard Graduate School of Education. «Because it appears that this stuff builds up over time.» And it puts young girls at danger of not being as strong in maths as they believe they are.»

Rowe went on to say that a parent’s socioeconomic level did not appear to influence how frequently they discussed maths topics with their young children.

She claims that raising the quantity of maths ideas you discuss with your children may be as simple as counting what’s around you or comparing groupings.

The researchers monitored 50 Boston-area carers and their infants as they matured from 10 to 18 months old. They categorised a variety of objects as math concepts, such as counting and the use of words like «many.»

Rowe emphasised that the study’s scope was limited. She plans to continue working with co-author Kathryn Leech to investigate the long-term effects of these gender variances.

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