Exploring the gender gap in noncognitive abilities: the role of parental investment in preschool girls’ outperformance over boys in China

This study examines gender disparities in noncognitive abilities among preschool children in mainland China, focusing on the role of parental investment. Using data from a large-scale survey, we find that girls consistently outperform boys in noncognitive abilities, particularly among low-income families. Our analysis shows that a level difference in nonfinancial parental investment, with boys receiving less, accounts for girls’ superior noncognitive abilities. Moreover, we find a return difference in some dimensions of nonfinancial investment, with boys benefiting more than girls do, which suggests that enhancing this investment may narrow the gender gap. However, we find neither level differences nor return differences in financial parental investment, which cannot explain the gender disparity in noncognitive abilities. These findings indicate that enhancing nonfinancial parental investment can effectively narrow the gender gap in noncognitive abilities during early childhood, especially for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.