Girls Academic Performance in Science Subjects: Evidences from the Industrializing and Least Industrialized Countries

The study reviewed the published empirical evidence on girls’ academic performance in science subjects in Industrializing and Least Industrialized Countries. Empirical evidences suggest that girls have been outperforming boys in education across the globe. Policy makers and academics have extensively studied this gender reverse change in the context of technologically advanced countries. The issue is an emerging phenomena in the context of industrializing and least industrialized countries and has received some academic attention in the last two decades. This gender reversal change in academic performance is an interesting trend in the context of industrializing and least industrialized countries. Nevertheless, girls as compared to boys, are not doing well in science subjects: technology, engineering and math (STEM). This review paper seeks to give a succinct picture of gender differences in academic performance in STEM subjects in the socio-cultural contexts industrializing and least industrialized.  The findings of our umbrella review of different studies in the developing countries show girls’ underperformance in STEM subjects in the industrializing and least industrialized countries. Findings (skimmed from a number of empirical studies) suggest boys’ outperformance in STEM subjects.