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Gender Differences in Early Child Development: Evidence from Large-Scale Studies of Very Young Children in Nine Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Rosangela Bando

    (Inter-American Development Bank)

  • Florencia Lopez-Boo

    (Inter-American Development Bank)

  • Lia Fernald

    (University of California)

  • Paul Gertler

    (University of California, Haas School of Business, University of California)

  • Sarah Reynolds

    (University of California)

Abstract

Some evidence suggests that there are significant gender gaps in early child development in low- and middle-income countries, with girls generally outperforming boys. However, few studies have tested for the existence of such gaps at a large scale. Our objective is to examine gender disparities in early child development in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal, and Uruguay, with 26,055 children aged 7 to 48 months. We estimate gaps using cross-sectional studies with language, socioemotional, and motor skills development assessments. Consistent with small-sample findings, the data shows girls consistently outperformed boys on language tests (0.14 standard deviations) and socioemotional development (0.17 standard deviations), with differences consistent across all nine countries. There were no systematic differences by gender for motor development. We explored how family characteristics, health investments, or parent–child interactions influenced the gap. We did not find evidence that variation on these characteristics across children explained the gap. Our findings suggest that gender gaps in language and socioemotional development emerge very early in life.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosangela Bando & Florencia Lopez-Boo & Lia Fernald & Paul Gertler & Sarah Reynolds, 2024. "Gender Differences in Early Child Development: Evidence from Large-Scale Studies of Very Young Children in Nine Countries," Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 82-92, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:joerap:v:7:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s41996-023-00131-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s41996-023-00131-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Loeb, Susanna & Bridges, Margaret & Bassok, Daphna & Fuller, Bruce & Rumberger, Russell W., 2007. "How much is too much? The influence of preschool centers on children's social and cognitive development," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 52-66, February.
    2. Seema Jayachandran & Ilyana Kuziemko, 2011. "Why Do Mothers Breastfeed Girls Less than Boys? Evidence and Implications for Child Health in India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(3), pages 1485-1538.
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