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

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

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The authors discovered that parents employed an average of four maths concept terms throughout a 15-minute play session. While the usage of these phrases rose for all newborns as they grew older, the rise was greater for baby males.

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

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

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

The researchers monitored a varied group of 50 Boston-area carers and their infants as they developed from 10 to 18 months old. They categorised a variety of objects as math concepts, such as counting or using terms like «many.»

Rowe emphasised that the study was restricted in scope. She plans to continue her research with co-author Kathryn Leech and investigate the long-term effects of these gender variances.

References

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