What is behind this discrimination? One possibility is that teachers mark up students who are polite, eager and stay out of fights, all attributes that are more common among girls. In some countries, academic points can even be docked for bad behaviour. Another is that women, who make up eight out of ten primary-school teachers and nearly seven in ten lower-secondary teachers, favour their own sex, just as male bosses have been shown to favour male underlings. In a few places sexism is enshrined in law: Singapore still canes boys, while sparing girls the rod.

Klyftan mellan pojkars och flickors prestationer är stor i Sverige. det politiska ointresset är större.

  
Många pojkar känner att de inte passar in i förskola och skola.

  
De sociala förklaringarna har dominerat i svensk utbildningspolitik.