Missing Stars? Quantifying the Gender Gap in the Assessment of Gifted Students
Journal
CESifo Working Paper
Series
12382
Type
working paper
Date Issued
2026
Author(s)
Abstract
Female students are less likely to be identified as intellectually gifted than male students
when the identification process follows a two-stage procedure. We posit and quantify two
mechanisms that explain this gender gap. First, at any level of IQ, but especially at high
levels of IQ, male students are more likely nominated for assessment due to higher salience
of externalizing behaviors. This difference accounts for roughly 70% of the gender gap in
giftedness identification. Second, the remainder of the gap is explained by the use of lower
referral thresholds for male students, all else equal. We discuss policy implications.
when the identification process follows a two-stage procedure. We posit and quantify two
mechanisms that explain this gender gap. First, at any level of IQ, but especially at high
levels of IQ, male students are more likely nominated for assessment due to higher salience
of externalizing behaviors. This difference accounts for roughly 70% of the gender gap in
giftedness identification. Second, the remainder of the gap is explained by the use of lower
referral thresholds for male students, all else equal. We discuss policy implications.
Language
English
Keywords
gifted education
two-stage diagnosis
gender gap
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Subject(s)
Division(s)
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open.access
Name
cesifo1_wp12382.pdf
Size
2.05 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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