Girls Lead in Science Exam, but Not in the United States

For years — and especially since 2005, when Lawrence H. Summers, then president of Harvard, made his notorious comments about women’s aptitude — researchers have been searching for ways to explain why there are so many more men than women in the top ranks of science.

Now comes an intriguing clue, in the form of a test given in 65 developed countries by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It finds that among a representative sample of 15-year-olds around the world, girls generally outperform boys in science — but not in the United States.

Kirtland Peterson

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